Designed to help restaurants maximize labor efficiency.
Checkers & Rally’s and Presto Announce Largest Ever Rollout of Drive-Thru A.I. Voice Assistant in the Hospitality Industry
Checkers & Rally’s to deploy Presto’s voice ordering solution at all corporate-owned restaurants nationwide, becoming the first large concept to utilize artificial intelligence (A.I.) based drive-thru voice ordering nationwide.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (January 10, 2022) – Presto, a leader in the restaurant hospitality technology industry, has been selected by Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., the operator of Checkers & Rally’s iconic drive-thrus, as the exclusive provider of automated voice ordering for all its corporate-owned drive-thru restaurants. Today’s announcement marks the largest and first of its kind rollout of an A.I.-based voice assistant solution in the hospitality industry. Designed to help restaurants maximize labor efficiency, Presto’s next generation solutions help improve order accuracy, increase upsells, and provide a superior guest experience. The Presto systems are scheduled to be deployed across all corporate-owned Checkers & Rally’s restaurants in the United States in 2022. According to a Franchise Times article, over 80% of quick-service restaurant sales are being generated from the drive-thru, a clear indication that there is a growing opportunity for a frictionless drive-thru model such as Checkers & Rally’s. A faster, more efficient drive-thru can offer significant competitive advantages and reduce lines that may discourage customers from ordering.
In 2021, Checkers & Rally’s conducted a detailed pilot program of Presto’s automated voice ordering technology at multiple locations over a four-month period. During this time, Presto’s solution delivered a high level of automation and accuracy with over 98% of drive-thru orders completed with minimal intervention from restaurant employees. The Presto solution also performed well with unique or infrequently ordered menu items and easily managed various guest accents. “Checkers & Rally’s is the pioneer of the double drive-thru restaurant model, so our decision to again lead the industry with the largest rollout of an A.I.-based voice assistant solution should be no surprise,” said Frances Allen, President and Chief Executive Officer at Checkers & Rally’s. “We are excited about this new era in partnership with Presto, a leader in the restaurant hospitality technology field. As a company, we embrace technology that will help our team members maximize time and efficiency while making their jobs easier and more enjoyable, creating a better experience for them as well as our guests.”
This new partnership is expected to enable Checkers & Rally’s to streamline the guest experience while increasing the guest-to-staff ratio in the drive-thru. By deploying Presto, Checkers & Rally’s believes that they can free up staff for more people-dependent areas of their business and enhance guest interaction overall.
“We’re excited to be selected by Checkers & Rally’s as their exclusive drive-thru automated speech recognition partner for all their corporate-owned locations,” said Rajat Suri, Founder and CEO of Presto. “Checkers & Rally’s desire to take the industry forward through disruptive innovation is inspiring, and Presto is fully committed to supporting this bold vision.” On November 10, 2021, Presto announced the execution of a definitive merger agreement with Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: VTAQ), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company (“Ventoux”), that will result in Presto becoming a publicly listed company. Upon closing, the combined company (the “Company”) will be renamed Presto Technologies, Inc. and expects to trade on Nasdaq.
Presto offers a powerful next-generation drive-thru voice solution that uses A.I. to automate speech recognition for restaurant drive-thrus. This solution has been developed in partnership with Hi Auto, a conversational A.I. technology company focused on creating a human-like solution for automating and optimizing the sales experience at drive-thru restaurants.
Additionally, Presto has other voice products that can be deployed in a variety of restaurant settings including line busters, kiosks, pay-at-table systems, and server handhelds to streamline the guest experience while increasing the guest-to-staff ratio. Presto’s solutions take orders using automated A.I. that frees up staff by automatically transmitting orders to the restaurant’s POS system. The company believes that its solutions enable faster transactions and improve order accuracy by eliminating human order taking. They can also increase check sizes with automatic upselling and cross-selling.
For more information, visit presto.com/voice. To schedule a live demo or learn more about Presto’s products, please contact mktg@presto.com or visit presto.com.
About Presto Presto overlays next-gen digital solutions onto the physical world. Our enterprise-grade touch, vision, and voice technologies help hospitality businesses thrive while delighting guests. With over 250,000 systems shipped, we are one of the largest labor automation technology providers in the industry. Founded at M.I.T. in 2008, Presto is headquartered in Silicon Valley, Calif. with customers including many of the top 20 restaurant chains in the U.S.
About Checkers & Rally’s Restaurants
Based in Tampa, Fla., Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., an iconic and innovative drive-thru restaurant chain known for its bold, craveable food, famous fries, exceptional value, and people-first attitude, operates and franchises both Checkers® and Rally's® restaurants. With 836 restaurants and room to grow, Checkers & Rally's is a proven brand with flexible building formats that is aggressively expanding across the country. Checkers & Rally's is dedicated to being a place where franchisees and employees who work hard can create opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities. In recent years, the brand has earned several of the industry's most prestigious awards including: "#1 Most Craveable Fries" by Restaurant Business 2020 and 2018; Best Franchise Deal and "Best Drive-Thru in America" by QSR Magazine; Top Food and Beverage Franchise by Franchise Business Review; the "Hot! Again" award from Nation's Restaurant News and has consistently been ranked on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500.
Contacts
For Presto
Media: Rajul Misra & Brian Ruby media@presto.com
Investors: Ryan Gardella & Michael Bowen investor@presto.com
For Checkers & Rally’s
ICR: Madison McGillicuddy Checkers@icrinc.com
Checkers & Rally’s: Joyce OlivaOlivaJ@checkers.com