Dairy Queen is putting an AI chatbot in its drive-thrus

The Verge / 4/18/2026

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Key Points

Dairy Queen is rolling out a voice AI chatbot across dozens of its drive-thrus in the US and Canada to help speed up service.
The chain expects the chatbot to also encourage customers to add more items to their orders.
The technology comes from Presto, an AI automation company already used by other fast-food chains such as Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, Taco John’s, and Fazoli’s.
Dairy Queen’s move follows a prior test conducted last year, and previous reporting has raised questions about whether some AI drive-thru operations may be assisted by human workers.
The deployment is positioned as the latest example of generative/voice AI moving into mainstream drive-thru operations in hospitality and QSR.

Dairy Queen is becoming the latest fast food chain to get in on AI, as it's bringing a chatbot to dozens of its drive-thrus across the US and Canada. It aims to help speed up drive-thru service and "encourage customers to add more food to their orders," according to The Wall Street Journal.

Following a test last year, Dairy Queen is widely launching the tech built by Presto, an AI company that already works with chains like Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Taco John's, and Fazoli's. In 2023, a report from Bloomberg revealed that Presto's AI drive-thrus may actually be assisted by human workers based in locations like the Philippines.

Presto's chatbot …

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