Meet Ollie, Oliver’s AI drive-thru Aussie assistant

There are already plans to take it to the restaurant chain’s self-service kiosks.

Australian healthy fast-food chain Oliver’s has introduced the world’s “first contextually aware” AI (artificial intelligence) drive-thru order taker named Ollie, as it takes a stab at automation to improve customer experience by shortening wait times and allocating human personnel towards connecting with guests.

Whilst Ollie is still in the very early stages of launch, there are already plans to take it to Oliver’s self-service kiosks, CEO Natalie Sharpe told QSR Media. 

Ollie was developed by Oliver's together with global AI solutions provider Sodaclick and unlike other AI drive-thru assistants, Ollie can engage in unscripted, natural conversations and understands a wide range of accents and dialects, including those unique to Australia, she said.

“Ollie can answer a customer depending on what they like,” Sharpe said. “For example, if you ask what's the most popular breakfast of the day, it will give you a recommendation. Additionally, for people who don’t know yet what they want to eat but want something quick to grab and go, Ollie can suggest some of our pre-prepared meals.”

What also makes it unique is that it is integrated with a food management software called Prepit. Prepit contains detailed information on all Oliver’s products.

“This means Ollie understands every element of the menu and doesn’t rely on human recall,” Sharpe said. “Customers can ask specific questions related to their dietary needs and meal choices and get full details on ingredients and nutrition information.”

This takes the pressure off human team members to recall these bits at speed.

Real-time AI interaction at the point of transaction could boost drive-thru revenue by 20% through more relevant suggestions per order, repeat visits, increased frequency, and customer advocacy, according to a report by the US-based CMO Council and uKnomi released in June.

Oliver’s, which launched Ollie at its Pheasant’s Nest branch in New South Wales in October, will measure its success through improved order accuracy, reduced wait times, staff and customer satisfaction.

Its ability to ease staffing challenges for Oliver's, especially in remote locations, will also be an indicator of its value to the company’s operations.

In June, McDonald’s said it would end a test run of its AI drive-thru technology partnership with IBM in more than 100 restaurants, amidst complaints about it not recognising accents and getting orders wrong.

Sharpe said Ollie would not replace human staff members, and would work as an assistant to help ease the pressure on their staff. About 51% of Australian workers have complained of increased workload in the past 12 months, according to PWC’s 2024 global workforce survey.

“Ollie is designed to take the orders so our team can focus on preparing high-quality products on time and delivering a great customer experience at the collection point,” she said.

All photos from press release.