The burger chain Krystal operates 300 restaurants. Most of these are in the Southeast, particularly four states: Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
Thus, the artificial intelligence the chain is about to start testing in its drive-thrus can’t just pick up the English language. It needs to pick up the many different accents of that language in the chain’s markets.
“We’re a Southeast brand,” Chief Marketing Officer Alice Crowder said in an interview. “We are in some heavily rural markets with lovely Southern accents. We need something to understand our customers.”
Thus, Crowder said, Krystal’s A.I.-enabled drive-thru menu boards, which the company will start testing next month, will be able to understand those accents.
It’s part of a strategy by the Dunwoody, Ga.-based chain to evolve nearly a year after its sale out of bankruptcy court.
Krystal under its new owners is moving aggressively to shift its direction after a tough couple of years. The company filed for bankruptcy in January last year, before the pandemic, amid unit closures and sales challenges. Krystal closed 18 locations last year and 63 since 2017, according to data from Restaurant Business sister company Technomic. The chain was sold to one of its lenders last year.
Continue reading: https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/krystal-works-ai-can-understand-southern-accents
Thus, the artificial intelligence the chain is about to start testing in its drive-thrus can’t just pick up the English language. It needs to pick up the many different accents of that language in the chain’s markets.
“We’re a Southeast brand,” Chief Marketing Officer Alice Crowder said in an interview. “We are in some heavily rural markets with lovely Southern accents. We need something to understand our customers.”
Thus, Crowder said, Krystal’s A.I.-enabled drive-thru menu boards, which the company will start testing next month, will be able to understand those accents.
It’s part of a strategy by the Dunwoody, Ga.-based chain to evolve nearly a year after its sale out of bankruptcy court.
Krystal under its new owners is moving aggressively to shift its direction after a tough couple of years. The company filed for bankruptcy in January last year, before the pandemic, amid unit closures and sales challenges. Krystal closed 18 locations last year and 63 since 2017, according to data from Restaurant Business sister company Technomic. The chain was sold to one of its lenders last year.
Continue reading: https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/krystal-works-ai-can-understand-southern-accents
