Starbucks wants to use AI to show you a ‘personalized digital menu’ at the drive-thru

Starbucks could eventually show you a personalized digital menu when you pull up to the drive-thru. During an earnings call on Thursday, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the company is going to explore “experiences that recognize participating customers as they arrive, present personalized digital menus, and make payment more effortless,” as spotted earlier by More Perfect Union. It sounds similar to the technology that Taco Bell is experimenting with, which could change the layout, content, and visuals on a digital menu board “on a car-by-car basis.” McDonald’s also recently showed off an AI-powered feature it’s piloting at a handful of drive-thrus, allowing its “ArchIQ” chatbot to identify repeat customers and let them order their “usual.” Starting in 2027, Starbucks will also begin testing background AI models at the drive-thru to help baristas “input orders more accurately and efficiently,” according to Niccol. The company also plans to integrate AI into the Starbucks app’s search and discovery features, and may allow “conversational and agentic” ordering in the future. Starbucks has already started allowing customers to place orders through ChatGPT, and also rolled out an AI-powered Green Dot Assist that employees can use to ask questions about things like recipes and service standards. It’s still not clear how soon we can expect to see personalized digital menu boards at Starbucks, but Niccol says it’s still “early,” adding that “we’ll test, learn, and scale what works.”