Taco Bell’s drive-thru voice AI expands to nearly 900 restaurants
The company has reported higher employee retention at locations with the technology.
July 8, 2026
Taco Bell is expanding its drive-thru voice AI with partner Omilia. Building on a relationship that began in 2023, the technology is now available in over 890 domestic restaurants across 38 states.
In a press release, Omilia said its voice AI technology will continue to be deployed across Taco Bell’s U.S. restaurants, automating order-taking at the drive-thru speaker, adapting to each location’s menu, and providing real-time stock levels. Omilia’s proprietary platform features noise filtering, sub-second latency, and real-time menu adaptation.
The company said its data shows that transactions in drive-thrus with voice AI are either on par with or faster than traditional order-taking methods.
Taco Bell locations using voice AI have also reported higher employee retention compared to those without.
“Omilia’s Voice AI gives us the ability to ease team members’ workloads and provides them the flexibility to engage with customers in a more meaningful way,” Taco Bell Global Chief Digital & Technology Officer Dane Mathews said in a statement. “Omilia’s platform has proven itself at scale in select U.S. restaurants, and continuing this strategic partnership supports our long-term digital and tech strategy.”
In a statement emailed to Nation’s Restaurant News, Taco Bell said Omilia is one of several technology partners supporting a broader strategy and working with parent company Yum Brands’ proprietary technology platform, Byte by Yum, introduced last year.
“Our AI strategy is built around working with a range of technology partners that bring different capabilities to help improve restaurant operations and the customer experience,” the company said. “Together with Byte by Yum, Yum’s proprietary technology platform, these partnerships help us bring AI-powered capabilities to life across our restaurants. We're encouraged by the progress, and we are excited about how these technologies are helping deliver the best experience for our team members, franchisees, and customers.”
Taco Bell first expanded its voice AI to more than 100 U.S. restaurants across 13 states in July 2024. The company said that its test of the technology, which had been in place for two years prior to that, yielded improved order accuracy, speedier service, and profitable growth.
Last year, however, Taco Bell ran into some bumps in the road. In August, the system glitched when a customer tried to order 18,000 cups of water and the experience quickly went viral on social media. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal following that incident, Mathews said his company is now thinking about where and where not to deploy the technology. Busier restaurants, for instance, may benefit more from a human taking orders.
Despite the hiccup, Taco Bell reiterated its commitment to voice AI, stating that it “continues to see the technology as a core part of our future.”
“While we are still in the early stages of this journey, Taco Bell is proud to be leading the QSR industry in this space and is continuing to invest for long-term growth. We remain focused on learning, improving, and scaling the technology, and are confident that both team members and customers will continue to benefit from these innovations,” a spokesperson said last year.
Taco Bell joins a handful of chains experimenting with and accelerating voice AI at the drive-thru. McDonald’s recently announced Next strategy included the introduction of a voice AI system nicknamed Archy, for instance. Carl’s Jr., Krystal, Dairy Queen, Wendy’s, Taco John’s, Bojangles, and others have also deployed the technology in some capacity within their systems.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso
About the Author
Alicia Kelso
Executive Editor, Nation's Restaurant News
Alicia Kelso is the executive editor of Nation's Restaurant News. She began covering the restaurant industry in 2010 for QSRweb.com, FastCasual.com, and PizzaMarketplace.com. When her son was born, she left the industry to pursue a role in higher education, but swiftly returned after realizing how much she missed the space. In filling that void, Alicia added a contributor role at Restaurant Dive and a senior contributor role at Forbes.
Her work has appeared in publications around the world, including Forbes Asia, NPR, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, Crain's Chicago, Good Morning America, and Franchise Asia Magazine.
Alicia holds a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University, where she competed on the women's swim team. In addition to cheering for the BGSU Falcons, Alicia is a rabid Michigan fan and will talk about college football with anyone willing to engage. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her wife and son.
Follow her on TikTok @aliciakelso
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