Latest news with #drive-thru
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Hungry Jacks sparks outrage over major change at drive-thru in Australia
A new trial at Hungry Jack's could mark the beginning of the end for a key fast food job. Hungry Jack's is trialling the use of AI drive-thru assistants at its St Peters restaurant in Sydney, and those wanting a meal will experience a digital voice-activated customer ordering system. The trial will be rolled out to other restaurants in the coming months, and many Aussies have started to question how many fast food workers will lose their jobs in the future. AI expert Niusha Shafiabady told Yahoo Finance that retail jobs were 'very likely' to change soon as AI begins to take over. 'At this stage, people are preparing our food, in the future robots will be preparing our food,' Ms Shafiabady said. 'I would anticipate with the work that Elon Musk is doing in developing humanoid robots that even within the next 10 years people wouldn't be preparing our food.' Restaurants around the world, including KFC, Wendy's, McDonald's, Chipotle, Domino's, and Taco Bell, have trialled AI software. Ms Shafiabady said AI would ultimately save businesses money but also reduce wait times. He said it would also take human error out of the equation, meaning orders would be more accurate and Aussies wouldn't have to turn their cars around and go back to claim a missing hamburger or chips. A Hungry Jack's spokesperson told Yahoo Finance the trial was put in place to see how effective AI technology was in helping 'service improvements'. Some Aussies online were outraged and worried about the new 'scary' AI technology and some even threatened to boycott Hungry Jack's over the trial. 'Goodbye to teenagers who need casual jobs,' one person said. 'How will kids get job experience with these jobs being replaced?' another said. 'You can't convince me all this investment in AI is cheaper than paying real wages,' a third said. Ms Shafiabady said the public would eventually accept AI's role in society. 'Even if they (Hungry Jack's) lose some of their customers in the beginning, people would get used to the technology,' she said. 'If you recall the first time that generative AI tools came to the market, like ChatGPT, people were not really comfortable using it. But now everybody's using them.' Other jobs that are expected to be impacted by AI in the next five years are bank tellers, cashiers, postal workers and administrative assistants, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report. The report predicted about 170million new jobs would be created this decade while 92million would be lost. Ms Shafiabady said the jobs involving repetitive tasks were the ones that would be most likely to be taken over by AI. She also said that while there would be fewer entry-level jobs in the future, AI would open up new job opportunities, with roles in automation, cybersecurity experts and people needed to analyse data. 'That's the reality. The types of jobs of the future will be different from the types of jobs that we have had now, and we have had before,' she said. 'If you look back hundreds of years ago, the types of jobs were different, so we are evolving and the types of jobs will be changing.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Customer films ‘scary' new AI feature at Hungry Jack's
A fast food customer was left shocked after driving into a Hungry Jack's drive-through, only to be greeted by an AI (artificial intelligence) voice assistant. He took to TikTok to document the bizarre experience in a clip that has since gone viral with nearly 400k views. The video begins with the AI robot speaking to the driver through a digital screen. 'What can I get you?' the female voice assistant asks. The driver, shocked, replies, 'Are you AI?' to which it responded, 'I'm Hungry Jacks' virtual helper'. He then mumbles under his breath, 'That's so cooked,' and proceeds with his order – a large ultimate double whopper meal. @pnuks Rip teenagers wanting a job at @Hungry Jack's 🥲😅💀 ai aijobs hungryjacks hungryjacksfreeglass work employed drivethru ♬ original sound - pnuks The AI assistant confirms, 'Did you want double whopper?' and the customer clarifies he wants the large ultimate double whopper. The robot responds casually, 'Sure,' before asking if he wants his meal with Coke. 'Oh God no,' he replies, taken aback by the drink suggestion. He asks for an orange juice with no ice, and the assistant says, 'Okay,' before he adds another cheeseburger to his order. The AI helper then asks if there's anything else the driver wants before displaying the total bill on the screen and instructing him to go to the next window. 'God, that's so scary,' he says before ending the clip. He wrote in the caption: 'They just installed this last week'. Hungry Jack's confirmed the news, telling that the trial is happening in one specific Sydney store only. 'Hungry Jack's is trialling a new digital voice-activated customer ordering system at the St Peters restaurant drive-through,' a statement read. 'The test aims to determine the effectiveness of the technology in delivering service improvements. Customer feedback will be sought during the trial period. 'It is anticipated that the trial will be rolled out to additional restaurants in the coming months.' In the comments of the clip, many viewers expressed their unease at the new technology, with several echoing the customer's own reaction of being 'scared' by the robot. Some users joked about the end of an era for teenage fast-food jobs, saying: 'How will kids get job experience with these jobs being replaced?' 'You can't convince me all this investment in AI is cheaper than paying real wages,' someone else wrote. Others were outright against the change, with one user saying, 'I hate it' and 'We are doomed'. 'I'm turning into a boomer and driving straight to the window because absolutely not am I doing that,' someone else admitted. 'I hate AI, it's a joke,' another naysayer wrote. 'This is so sad,' another noted, as someone else declared, 'We do not need this'. Others raised accessibility concerns: 'People with accents, we are going to have a hard time with this! Even Siri struggles to understand me'. Meanwhile, some said they were unimpressed with the AI assistant's 'attitude'. 'It's so slow!' quipped one. 'Why is it so rude?' another asked. 'It's so passive aggressive with the 'okay',' said yet another TikToker. However, others were more on board with the concept and even thought the AI was polite. 'I like that she didn't rush you,' said one. Someone else pointed out that the technology will be great to reduce the amount of staff who have to work overnight. It comes after McDonald's ended its test of AI chatbots at drive-throughs in 100 locations around the US in July last year. The burger chain removed the AI-based order systems, giving no public reason for ending its test run, according to Restaurant Business. But it came amid reports of a string of mistakes with diners' meals – with customers saying they often received things they didn't order, according to The New York Post. Some of the mistakes included adding nine sweet teas to one customer's order and giving another customer an ice cream cone with bacon on top. Just months later, KFC Australia began trialling AI drive-through technology in five restaurants across the country, including South Penrith, Wetherill Park, Mt Druitt, Minto, and Frenchs Forest. Its name was Kacy, but despite the personification, the chain assured no jobs were being replaced by the technology. It appears to still be up and running, according to users on TikTok. In October, Australia's healthy fast-food chain Oliver's also introduced an AI drive-through assistant, Ollie, in a bid to shorten wait times. According to QSR, it is the world's first 'contextually aware' AI drive-through order taker. This means it can engage in unscripted, natural conversations and understands a wide range of accents and dialects.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why traffic patterns could complicate plans for new businesses at busy Peoria intersection
A battle over traffic patterns at a busy Peoria intersection could force a proposal to build two drive-thru style restaurants to go elsewhere, including across the river. A small shopping center that would include a Dutch Bros Coffee and a second restaurant is proposed for the corner of University Street and War Memorial Drive in Peoria, but conflicting concerns over traffic flow from adjacent property owners and the city could pose barriers to the project. The proposed shopping center would at first include only a Dutch Bros shop. However, the plan, which was approved Thursday by the Peoria Planning and Zoning Commission, would allow for a second drive-thru style restaurant to be built at the spot. The two projects would encompass roughly 1.5 acres of the 4.5-acre plot of land. More: Popular coffee chain seeking to open Peoria location at busy intersection The plan would allow for two access points to the site — one off University Street and another off Florence Avenue. However, the project's petitioner, Todd Raufeisen, who represents the construction group RSCC Inc., told the commission that he might not be able to get approval for the project from Dutch Bros without three access points. Raufeisen told the commission it was "not a threat" but a "reality" that the project could be done elsewhere, like East Peoria. Ultimate approval for the project, including where access points would be allowed, will be determined by the Peoria City Council, which will hear the matter on May 27. Only two access points for the site from North University Street and Florence Avenue were ultimately approved, but commission chair Eric Heard said it would be "ideal" to add a third access point from Parish Avenue, connecting the site to War Memorial Drive. But access to Parish Avenue and, ultimately, War Memorial Drive would need to run through a property to the west of the Dutch Bros site, which is owned by Bob Jokisch. Jokisch, via his attorney Tom Leiter, argued Thursday that traffic on Florence Avenue stemming from the site not be allowed to travel east. Instead, they proposed, via easement or sale, that a connection could be made between Parish Avenue and War Memorial Drive for the site. More: 'Very hopeful': Peoria seeks proposals to redevelop historic downtown building, properties Another adjacent property owner, Kirk Johnson of Bloomington, said he welcomed the Dutch Bros proposal but was concerned with the city's plan to restrict left-turn access from University Street onto their private drive. Johnson asked the city to produce a traffic study. Raufeisen indicated he would be open to looking at other possible access points after listening to the concerns of adjacent property owners. Access from University Street would be restricted to right-in and right-out only, and Florence Avenue would be restricted to left-in and right-out only. Traffic was also a concern for some on the Planning and Zoning commission. Commissioner Richard Unes raised concerns about what would prevent drivers from taking a left out of the site off University Street. City staff said bollards could be put in place to encourage drivers to only take a right turn onto University Street. The proposed development falls within the boundaries of a tax-increment financing district, which could allow the developer to utilize incentives and tax breaks for the project. More: Downtown Peoria building, restaurant put up for sale as owner explores retirement Dutch Bros' proposal indicated to the commission that 95% of its business at the site would likely be drive-thru traffic, and the other 5% would be through walk-up window. The commission needed to replace a 2007 ordinance for the site that dictated that access to the property from Florence Avenue needed to be closed when auto sales stopped at the property, which used to be home to a car dealership. A sewer line at the site that conflicts with the location of one of the proposed buildings may have to be moved, according to city staff who said the developer is working with the city on how to possibly do that. The large plot of land the project would rest on sits at one of Peoria's busiest intersections and has been vacant for more than 15 years. It was most recently home to a Jim McComb Chevrolet dealership. A credit union was once approved to be built on the land but the development never materialized. More: Peoria car dealership looking to buy land from Catholic cemetery on prominent road This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Two new businesses could be built at busy Peoria intersection
