Starbucks Explores AI-Personalized Drive-Thru Digital Menus and Back-Office AI Testing
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On October 31, 2026, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said on the earnings call that the company is exploring using AI at the drive-thru to recognize regular customers, show them personalized digital menus, and streamline payment; the plan is still in its early stages. Beyond the drive-thru, Starbucks also outlined other AI plans: starting in 2027, it will test back-office AI models to help baristas enter orders more accurately and efficiently, and it plans to integrate AI into the search and discovery features of the Starbucks app, potentially supporting conversational ordering and agent-based ordering in the future. All of these initiatives remain in the exploration or early stages, with no specific rollout timeline yet.
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- The Verge · AIStarbucks wants to use AI to show you a ‘personalized digital menu’ at the drive-thru
On the earnings call, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the company will explore recognizing regulars at the drive-thru and showing them a personalized digital menu, while simplifying payment; it is still at an early stage. Starting in 2027, Starbucks will test a back-of-house AI model to help baristas enter orders more accurately and efficiently, and plans to integrate AI into the app's search and discovery, potentially supporting conversational and agent-based ordering in the future.
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