In a move that could redefine fast food service as we know it, SoundHound AI (Nasdaq: SOUN) and Acrelec, two powerhouses in AI and restaurant tech, are joining forces to deploy next-gen, voice-enabled drive-thru systems at scale. The goal: automate the chaos behind the wheel and streamline operations for restaurants battling thin margins, labor shortages, and sky-high customer expectations.
This strategic partnership pairs SoundHound’s Dynamic Drive-Thru voice AI with Acrelec’s digital signage and content management system, creating a seamless order-taking ecosystem that cuts out the friction – and often the human error – from quick-service restaurant (QSR) drive-thrus.
Forget yelling into the speaker or repeating your order three times. This new setup lets customers speak naturally to an AI assistant, which then routes the order directly to the point-of-sale (POS) system with human-like accuracy and speed.
Why This Matters Now
The fast-food drive-thru lane has long been a battleground of inefficiencies, plagued by long lines, garbled intercoms, and high staff turnover. As demand for frictionless service grows and staffing remains unpredictable, QSRs are scrambling for solutions that balance speed, reliability, and customer experience.
“As restaurants continue to turn to AI to meet rising customer expectations and alleviate staffing pressures, we’re excited to partner with Acrelec to deliver impactful AI solutions at scale,” said Michael Lauricella, VP of Channel Partnerships at SoundHound AI.
That scale is no small feat. Acrelec already supports 25,000+ drive-thru installations and 80,000 technology deployments globally — powering customer experiences for giants like McDonald’s and Dunkin’.
From Static Menus to Smart Conversations
The drive-thru has historically been an analog experience: static signage, manual input, and the occasional misheard order. This new offering turns that model on its head by enabling:
- Conversational ordering through SoundHound’s advanced voice AI, trained on billions of queries
- Real-time order processing and POS integration
- Labor efficiency, allowing staff to focus on fulfillment and customer service
- Modular deployment, supporting phone, kiosk, drive-thru, and headset interfaces
“Restaurants are under pressure to provide easy, efficient customer experiences while managing labor shortages,” said Chloe Bisiaux, Director of Innovation & Marketing at Acrelec. “This partnership empowers them with future-ready AI tech that solves real pain points.”
How It Stacks Up: Context in the AI Race
SoundHound’s move into QSRs isn’t new—but this is arguably its most aggressive enterprise-scale deployment to date. Already live in 10,000+ locations, SoundHound has trained its proprietary voice engine on millions of hours of real-world conversations, giving it an edge over generic voice assistants often tripped up by background noise or regional accents.
By combining that linguistic muscle with Acrelec’s global hardware and integration footprint, the companies are poised to offer a plug-and-play automation solution at a time when competitors like Presto, ConverseNow, and even McDonald’s internal AI pilots are still navigating mixed results and scalability hurdles.
This isn’t a chatbot stitched to a touchscreen. It’s a tightly coupled system purpose-built for the chaos of the drive-thru — one where clarity, speed, and service quality can make or break margins.
The Implications: What This Means for Restaurants
For franchisees and QSR operators, the bottom-line appeal is clear:
- Reduced wait times and increased order throughput
- Improved order accuracy, cutting waste and rework
- Lower dependence on frontline labor during high-turnover periods
- Enhanced guest satisfaction, particularly among digital-first consumers
Perhaps most importantly, it offers a sustainable path forward for AI adoption in food service—one that’s less about buzzwords and more about usable, reliable tools.
Final Word: Voice AI is Finally Pulling into the Drive-Thru
In a world where customer expectations are rising and loyalty is fleeting, the QSRs that win will be the ones that get faster, smarter, and more responsive without compromising consistency. With this partnership, SoundHound and Acrelec aren’t just digitizing the drive-thru. They’re fundamentally reengineering how we interact with it.
And if you’re tired of shouting your coffee order into a fuzzy speaker, that future can’t come fast enough.
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