Sunday 21th December 2025, the food and beverage industry is witnessing a transformation driven by voice AI technologies that are reshaping drive-thru operations, enhancing order accuracy, and redefining labor dynamics. This edition explores how automated voice assistants are streamlining drive-thrus, achieving unprecedented accuracy in order management, and their broader impact on workforce strategies. Together, these developments offer strategic advantages for foodservice leaders aiming to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. read the complete newsletter Introduction to Automated Voice Assistants: A Game Changer for Drive Thru Automated voice assistants are revolutionizing the drive thru experience by significantly accelerating service speed and reducing wait times. Leveraging advanced voice AI technology, drive thrus manage orders more efficiently, minimizing errors and allowing staff to concentrate on food preparation and direct customer engagement. This integration enhances operational throughput and elevates customer satisfaction by delivering faster, more accurate service. Moreover, AI tools empower employees with instant access to relevant information and decision-making support, fostering a streamlined, responsive environment that meets heightened consumer demands for convenience and speed in quick-service restaurants. As these technologies mature, businesses adopting voice AI stand to gain a competitive edge by optimizing workforce management and improving the overall customer experience in drive-thru settings. retailtouchpoints Achieving 95%+ Accuracy in Order Management Recent AI advancements have enabled voice-assisted order management systems to achieve accuracy levels exceeding 95%. Key to this success is embedding AI directly into ordering platforms, rather than using it as an isolated tool. By organizing product data and analyzing historical ordering patterns, AI refines search accuracy and simplifies navigation through extensive product catalogs, which reduces errors and enhances customer satisfaction.Forbes Furthermore, AI powered voice assistants utilize real time call guidance and robotic process automation to assist agents with script suggestions and knowledge recommendations, promoting personalized and precise order processing. This intelligent automation accelerates order handling and lowers operational costs by reducing manual errors.Total Tele In sectors such as food and beverage, integrating AI enabled voice ordering with point-of-sale systems has advanced from pilot projects to full scale deployment, guaranteeing seamless order capture and improved workflow efficiency. For business leaders, this evolution implies scalable, reliable operations and the potential for new revenue streams driven by autonomous intelligence embedded within support frameworks.

Google just merged NotebookLM into Gemini. Here's what it means: The Good: - Query multiple notebooks at once (finally!) - Combine your docs with web search in one chat - Your research + Gemini's reasoning = 🔥 The Reality Check: NotebookLM is great for learning & audio podcasts. But for serious work, these tools beat it: → Claude Projects - Better citations, deeper analysis → Elephas - Works offline, multiple AI models → SurfSense - Open source, self-hosted, free → Paperguide - Academic research & proper references Bottom line: NotebookLM + Gemini = casual research Claude/Elephas = professional workflows What's your go-to research stack? 👇