What does it take to implement Gen AI into a mobile ordering app, and is it worth it?
Convenience is king, especially when it comes to consumer behavior in the restaurant industry. The growth of mobile ordering, which was expedited by COVID, was seen as a trend less than a decade ago. Today, it’s essential.
Think of generative AI (Gen AI) in the same way. Right now, it can be used as a competitive advantage. Eventually, it could become an essential strategy for every successful quick-service restaurant (QSR).
This is because the future of digital solutions is not just about convenience for customers ordering on the go—it’s about new ways a brand can communicate with them.
Mobile ordering currently requires pressing buttons to manually dig through a menu until the desired result is achieved. Press this button, order this sandwich. The experience is, at best, completely forgettable.
With Gen AI, the mobile ordering experience can be transformed into a meaningful conversation with your brand. Customers could actually feel like they’re getting to know your brand while ordering from it—adding “friendly service” to your digital sales.
Then Why Isn’t Everyone Using Gen AI In Their Mobile Ordering Apps?
It’s complicated.
Say you’re ready to take the next step. Where do you begin? Do you currently have a Gen AI expert on your team? Do they understand not only the latest technology but also the nuances of running a restaurant? Or a nationwide chain of them?
Here’s how it all breaks down.
First, you’d have to identify which large language model (LLM) you want to use. There’s not necessarily a catch-all “correct” LLM. But there is a right answer for you. For instance, the more intelligent the Gen AI, the slower the output might be. The fastest solution might not be accurate enough to learn and grow with your brand.
Once you’ve identified the LLM, you’ll need to set up the rules (or “personality”) in which your LLM operates. These rules help the LLM interpret the requests coming at it. What’s on the menu? What is an order? What’s included in a combo? Which sauces go with which products? Which add-ons might a customer want? What are the costs associated with all these options?
Next, the testing begins. The test data allows you to refine the “personality” of the AI. This crucial step takes time and restaurant experience. What is the personality getting right? And what is it getting wrong? Rinse and repeat. Sometimes, a tweak to the personality will correct an error but disrupt something that was operating correctly. If your test suite is not broad or comprehensive enough, you’re at risk of going to market with a faulty system.
From there, you move onto examples, testing the personality on specific orders to mimic a customer placing the order. You may, and probably will, flow back into the testing phase during your example phase. It’s all a part of the necessary training required to create a successful Gen AI ordering experience.
Think of it this way: Tech solutions are usually viewed as tools. You may need to train someone how to use the tool, but it’s just a tool. Gen AI solutions are like training an entirely new team of employees on your business. It takes a lot of legwork and a lot of trial and error.
Ultimately, you’re looking at tens of thousands of known examples that can be put into a vector database so that the “personality” can get to a highly accurate place.
This is all the work it takes to build a Gen AI mobile ordering experience for one customer, in one restaurant, for one menu.
However, not every restaurant in a chain will have the same menu. There may be local nuances, supply chain logistics that alter menus, specialty holiday menus, and the list goes on.
Plus, on any given day, 5 percent of your chain has a menu change. Are you willing to rebuild it across all your locations, across all your various menu nuances, and across all the daily changes that occur in normal restaurant operations?
Let's take a guess at your answer: “I want to be able to do all of that, but it sure feels like an extensive undertaking.”
That’s why Artisan has built a turnkey solution specifically for the food and beverage industry. Artisan has been helping national brands gain an advantage over the competition by seamlessly integrating Gen AI into their current mobile ordering operations.
Learn more about the Artisan Studios’ Gen AI Ordering System, and reach out if you’re interested in hearing more.
