Are drive-thrus the next celebrity voice licensing opportunity?
If Presto Automation has its way, the answer could be yes. The restaurant automation company announced this week that it has launched a new custom voice solution that features different characters ranging from celebrity voices to restaurant mascots to localized voices with specific local dialects.
According to the company, the new Presto Voice feature allows guests to place orders in a conversational style and says its natural language recognition technology will allow it to operate even in high noise environments. In addition to celebrities and brand mascots such as Colonel Sanders, the technology will also enable offer seasonal voices (like Santa) and regional personalities such as local sports athletes.
In the release, Presto claims in a recent survey that 68% of consumers aged 18-44 years said that they are significantly more likely to use a drive-thru featuring celebrity voices. I’m personally skeptical about how persistent any boost in business computer-generated character voices would be, but I’m willing to be persuaded.
Celebrity voices or not, there’s no doubt that this type of technology will continue to gain traction as restaurant operators struggle to hire qualified employees. If Presto and other drive-thru automation technology prove to be reliable, my guess is the drive-thru employee at large national chains will become an endangered species within 5 years.