Starbucks wants AI to personalise its drive-thru menus
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says the chain will explore AI that recognises customers at the drive-thru and shows them a personalised digital menu.
The facts
- On an earnings call on Thursday, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the firm will explore experiences that recognise participating customers on arrival, show personalised digital menus and ease payment, according to The Verge.
- From 2027, Starbucks will begin testing background AI models at the drive-thru to help baristas input orders more accurately and efficiently.
- Starbucks also plans to bring AI into its app's search and discovery features, and may allow conversational and agentic ordering later.
- There is no timeline for personalised menu boards. Niccol called it early and said the company will test, learn and scale what works.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Starbucks is not alone. Taco Bell and McDonald's are running similar experiments, so this is becoming a pattern across fast food. A menu that changes car by car is really a data play: the more the chain knows about you, the more it can nudge what you order. Note the word "participating" in the CEO's remarks. Who opts in, and what they get in return, is the part to watch.
For builders
Drive-thru ordering is becoming a testing ground for recognition, personalisation and agentic ordering. If you build for retail or food service, the opportunity sits in the plumbing: customer identity, consent, payments and order accuracy. Big chains are still at the test stage, so there is room before any standard settles.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from The Verge's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.