Transforming the Ordering Experience: Wendy’s FreshAi Update
Catch up on the evolution of Wendy’s FreshAi, where it’s going and its part in Wendy’s ordering transformation strategy
Transforming the Ordering Experience at Wendy’s
Wendy’s legacy of innovation across the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry continues, from Dave Thomas's revolutionary "Pick-Up Window" in 1970 to our Global Next Gen restaurant design today. Our partnership with Google in 2021 is another example of Wendy’s first mover advantage, keeping us ahead of the competition in the AI space with a two-year head start in refining our AI technology for the drive-thru. What’s important to distinguish: Wendy’s isn’t innovating for the sake of innovation. We're laser-focused on transforming the ordering experience for our customers and our team members by scaling Wendy’s FreshAi, our groundbreaking AI-powered drive-thru assistant.
FreshAi: A Journey of Growth
Wendy’s FreshAi is the latest example of how we’re leveraging technology and business relevant innovation to fuel growth and streamline restaurant operations. Wendy’s FreshAi – known as Wendy, a reliable assistant for the restaurant teams – excels at order accuracy, language capabilities and handling diverse menu offerings. She frees up team members to focus on making the connections that keep our customers coming back. The technology evolved over the past year, with our customers and team members at the heart of this transformation. What began as a pilot project in just two states in 2024 has expanded nationwide, with more than 150 Wendy’s restaurants across 24 states deploying the technology—and new sites are coming online every day! We plan to continue scaling FreshAi to more than 500 locations by the end of 2025, bringing the benefits to both Company-operated and franchise locations.
The Wendy’s Difference
Before Wendy’s FreshAi, the industry had not yet effectively automated the drive-thru, one of the most challenging aspects of the QSR industry due to many variables such as background noise in the car, varying regional customer dialects and the ability to understand made-to-order requests and generate responses to frequently asked menu questions.
FreshAi is more than just a friendly voice; she's a sophisticated partner powered by Google Cloud’s foundational large language models (LLMs). This allows FreshAi to understand a wide range of customer requests, from simple orders to complex, customized creations. With millions of ways for customers to order and customize their favorite Wendy’s menu items, Wendy’s FreshAi is a first-of-its-kind technology to support our unique menu full of fresh ingredients that can be customized to preferences and needs. Today, Wendy’s FreshAi technology is processing tens of thousands of orders daily, with positive feedback from both customers and team members.
Putting the Customer and Restaurant Team’s Experiences at the Forefront
Wendy’s FreshAi is enhancing the customer experience by focusing on order accuracy and meeting customers where and how they want to order their Wendy’s favorites. Customers are saying Wendy’s FreshAi drive-thru technology is a game-changer. Some have noted Wendy’s FreshAi is "even better than interacting with a real person" due to the clear and consistent ordering experience. Thanks to the generative AI technology powering FreshAi, she is always learning, creating even more opportunities to provide business relevant technology solutions for our restaurant teams. Most recently, we introduced Spanish language capabilities for customers who prefer to order in Spanish, with more languages coming! FreshAi will continue to evolve as a partner that empowers our team members, allowing them to focus on hospitality and personalized customer experiences.
What’s Next?
As we look to the future, we're committed to the transformation of our restaurant ordering experience, including investing in Wendy’s FreshAi, digital menu boards and digital kiosks. Wendy's aims to remain at the forefront of the QSR industry, using technology to enable the business and our growth. We’re just getting started as we continue to shape customer experiences that build connections with Wendy’s.