Starbucks is considering AI that could recognize participating customers when they arrive at a drive-thru and present a menu tailored to them. The idea is part of a broader set of plans to use AI in ordering, the company’s app, and support for employees.
A menu shaped around the customer
During an earnings call on Thursday, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the company would explore “experiences that recognize participating customers as they arrive, present personalized digital menus, and make payment more effortless.” The statement describes an area for exploration, rather than a confirmed launch of personalized menu boards.
A digital menu that changes for each arriving car could make the ordering screen feel more relevant to a returning customer. Starbucks has not explained what information it might use to recognize customers, or how the menu would be customized. Those details remain open, as does the timing.
Other chains are testing related ideas
The proposal resembles technology being explored by Taco Bell. Its digital menu boards could change their layout, content, and visuals “on a car-by-car basis.” McDonald’s has also shown an AI-powered feature it is piloting at a handful of drive-thrus: its “ArchIQ” chatbot can identify repeat customers and let them order their “usual.”
These examples show the range of ways restaurants might apply AI at the drive-thru, from changing what appears on a menu to helping a customer repeat a familiar order. Starbucks has not said that its plans will work in the same way as either chain’s experiments.
More AI features are in Starbucks’ plans
Starting in 2027, Starbucks will begin testing background AI models at the drive-thru. Niccol said the models are intended to help baristas “input orders more accurately and efficiently.” That test is distinct from the personalized menu idea, and the company has not given a launch schedule for the menu boards.
Starbucks also plans to bring AI into search and discovery in its app. Niccol said the company may eventually support “conversational and agentic” ordering, pointing to a possible future in which customers can use a more conversational process to find and place orders.
Some AI-related ordering and employee tools are already available. Starbucks has started allowing customers to place orders through ChatGPT, and it has rolled out Green Dot Assist, an AI-powered tool employees can use to ask questions about recipes and service standards.
Testing will determine what comes next
The personalized drive-thru menu remains an early idea. Niccol said Starbucks will “test, learn, and scale what works,” but the company has not said how soon customers might see the feature or what form it will take.
For now, the plans point to several possible roles for AI: tailoring what customers see, helping baristas record orders, improving app discovery, and answering staff questions. Which of those experiences expands will depend on what Starbucks learns as it tests them.