Story at a glance
- Yum! Brands, Inc. owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC.
- Company leaders say they hope to soon move to fully digital sales.
- Yum! Brands is also testing the use of artificial intelligence to take drive-thru orders.
(WJW) – Is it time to put the cash away? Taco Bell and other popular fast-food chains might become digital-only in the near future.
During an earnings call earlier this month, parent company Yum! Brands, Inc. addressed plans to eventually move to 100% digital sales at its restaurants.
This includes fast food chains like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC.
So, what does this mean? In an interview with the CFO Journal, Chief Financial Officer Chris Turner said more customers would be ordering through apps, websites or kiosks in the stores.
Yum! Brands is already testing the use of artificial intelligence to take drive-thru orders, the CFO Journal reported.
According to company leaders, “in the U.S., digital sales have increased almost 35% year over year with kiosks now deployed in 100% of Taco Bell stores.”
It’s unclear when the company plans to reach its goal.
Many other chains have also turned to technology in recent years. Wendy’s began testing an AI chatbot at an Ohio drive-thru earlier this year while many sit-down restaurants have started using robot servers to bring meals to patrons.