Beyond Technology: The Benefits of AI in the QSR Industry

Daniel Litwin
Oct 29, 2019
Learn more
Acrelec AI artificial intelligence Beyond Technology customer journey Daniel Litwin Podcast product recommendation Promoted Content QSR restaurant self-service ordering technology Vincent Attia Podcast

 

On this episode of Beyond Technology: The Experience Podcast by Acrelec, Vincent Attia, Data Processing Manager for Acrelec, spoke with host Daniel Litwin, The Voice of B2B, about utilizing AI in the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) industry.

Attia began the conversation with a brief explanation of what AI is in the food service industry; in the QSR space, McDonald’s is one of the only companies who have utilized AI in their restaurants. To aid in this endeavor, McDonald’s acquired an Omnichannel Personalization Platform, Dynamic Yield, for $300 Million in the spring of 2019.

While this type of AI personalization is similar to the shopping experience Amazon provides, Attia detailed how the QSR industry can deploy it in a different way. One new product introduction that Attia said is doing well in the QSR industry is the self-service kiosk. The kiosk’s help reduce the pressure on the person ordering, who doesn’t feel pressured to hurry up and place an order. QSR’s have reported a 10-15% uptick in sales due to the kiosks.

Attia provided an example of a QSR formally known as Eatsa, which positioned itself as a 21st Century Automat, with a cashless, all digital order flow. Eatsa is now rebranded as a technology company, Brightloom, and has partnered with Starbucks. In exchange for an equity stake in Brightloom, Starbucks has licensed aspects of their mobile ordering and rewards technology to the QSR.

Attia and Litwin discussed why QSRs are slow to adapt AI technology, and how it can provide a deeper look into analyzing areas of the QSR workflow, from drive-thru lines to fry-cook temperatures. Attia went on to explain how AI can improve bottlenecks in the QSR workflow.

What many QSR’s may not know is, their existing hardware often would not have to change in order to employ these AI technologies. Attia walked Litwin through the steps a QSR must take in order to employ AI software on their existing hardware.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Food & Beverage Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @FoodMKSL
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

team
Why Treating Everyone the Same Is Hurting Your Team
January 28, 2026

For years, management best practices emphasized uniformity: standard processes, standardized expectations, and treating everyone the same in the name of fairness. But today’s workforce looks very different than it did in the late 1990s and early 2000s. With multi-generational teams, shifting attitudes toward work-life balance, and an increased focus on emotional intelligence, leaders are…

Read More
giving back
Corporate Heartbeat: The Win-Win of Giving Back
January 28, 2026

Corporate giving is increasingly viewed as part of local economic infrastructure—not discretionary generosity. In the U.S., 13.7% of households experienced food insecurity in 2024, impacting millions of working families and signaling stress within regional labor markets. As cost-of-living pressures persist and metro regions like North Texas continue to grow rapidly, business leaders are reassessing…

Read More
setting scope
Crafted Journey How To: Setting Scope, Saving Sanity, and Protecting Long-Term Client Value
January 27, 2026

The independent workforce continues to grow, with professionals increasingly choosing solo and fractional paths over traditional employment. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that independent contractors now represent 11.9 million workers, or about 7.4% of total U.S. employment. Without the structural guardrails of traditional roles, independent professionals must define scope, success, and boundaries…

Read More
Culture of Safety
Beyond Drills: Building a Culture of Safety in Schools
January 27, 2026

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies. In this episode of Principals of Change, host Dr. Amy Grosso sits down with Jeff Bryant, Principal of Jefferson Middle School, and David Sally, Associate Principal of West Aurora High School, to explore how effective school safety goes far beyond drills and locked doors. Drawing on…

Read More
Related
giving back
Software & Technology
Corporate Heartbeat: The Win-Win of Giving Back
January 28, 2026
Broadband
Healthcare
2025 Broadband Year in Review, Part 2
January 23, 2026

In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin continues his conversation with Alex Rozek, Founder and CEO of Mac Mountain, to examine how technology shifts, capital discipline, and changing consumer expectations reshaped broadband in 2025, and what those changes lock in for the future. As the broadband industry closes…

Read More
Texas energy
Healthcare
Small Margins, Big Risks: How Fraud Hurts Texas Energy Retailers
January 6, 2026

Fraud has quietly become one of the most existential threats in Texas’s deregulated retail electricity market—because the business runs on razor-thin margins and delayed payment. Under the non-POR system overseen by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), retail energy providers assume the full risk of nonpayment. With profit margins often measured in just a…

Read More