Fast-food chains have spent the past several years racing to automate everything from drive-through ordering to burger flipping using AI. McDonald's and Wendy's have continued to experiment with AI ordering systems, forcing the industry to grapple with more fundamental questions than whether robots can make fries or take orders. The push comes amid persistent labor shortages and rising wage costs that have squeezed quick-service restaurant margins, making automation an increasingly attractive operational investment even as consumer acceptance lags.

McDonald's introduced ArchIQ earlier this year as part of its new initiative, "McDonald's > NEXT," deploying AI-powered chatbots at its drive-through locations. Wendy's has been implementing AI-powered drive-through systems since 2023 through its FreshAI program. In its 2026 first quarter earnings report, Wendy's CFO Ken Cook emphasized continued investment in digital experiences.

"We are continuing to invest in the end-to-end digital experience, leveraging consumer insights to drive frequency and engagement in the app," Cook said during the conference call, "while expanding payment options at checkout to create a more seamless experience and improve conversion."

However, customers are not embracing automated ordering nearly as quickly as restaurants are deploying it. Recent customer surveys show that Americans continue to overwhelmingly prefer ordering from human employees rather than AI-powered drive-through assistants or digital kiosks, highlighting a growing disconnect between how restaurant executives define efficiency and what consumers actually value.

"The assumption is there's a task, the computer can do it, therefore the person doesn't," Jerry Jacobs, a Wharton professor of sociology and management, told Fortune. "That's one possible way of implementing it. It's not the only way."

McDonald's and Wendy's did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment.

Why Fast-Food Consumers Aren't All In on AI

For many consumers, ordering food remains a social interaction, even if it lasts less than a minute. Jacobs cautions against romanticizing customer service, noting that employees make mistakes, become fatigued, and frequently operate under rigid corporate scripts that can limit what they do for customers.

Still, he argues that restaurants should not assume automation requires eliminating workers and cutting labor costs. Instead, AI could handle repetitive ordering tasks while employees shift toward hospitality-focused roles such as greeting customers, answering questions, and resolving issues that machines struggle to address.

"You can use this as a means of making it a more satisfying customer encounter," Jacobs said. "We shouldn't automatically assume robots equal a subtraction of an equal number of human employees."

Recent research from advisory firm Metrigy found that approximately 80% of consumers preferred speaking with human order takers over AI agents, highlighting the distinction between workplace efficiency and customer preference.

Layne Haaksma, senior research analyst at Metrigy, found that companies often overestimate consumers' willingness to accept AI system implementation. According to the company's data, only about 22% of consumers say they prefer interacting with AI agents, even though businesses believe the figure is roughly 40%, Haaksma told Fortune.

"The biggest takeaway is there's a significant gap between how fast companies are moving on AI and how ready consumers are," Haaksma said. "Businesses think customers prefer AI much more than they actually do."

This does not mean AI will never gain broader public acceptance. Data from Metrigy reports shows customer preference toward AI agent chatbots grew by more than four percentage points from Q1 2026 to Q2 2026. Whether that trend accelerates will likely depend on how reliably the technology handles complex or customized orders—the kind of interactions where errors are most visible and memorable to customers.

"There hasn't been enough time from AI's introduction into where we are now, for consumers to actually have that trust in using it," Haaksma said. "AI still messes up quite a bit… those mistakes really stick with consumers."

Jacobs echoed a similar perspective, noting that technology should ultimately serve as a way to benefit human quality of life, including for consumers.

"The people side isn't perfect," Jacobs said. "But we shouldn't assume all customer interactions with people are 100% what we'd like them to be—or that replacing them automatically improves the experience."