McDonald's acquires Apprente, plans to speed up drive-thru lines with voice-based ordering technology

McDonald's is partnering with Dynamic Yield, a leader in personalized tech, to customize drive-thru experiences. McDonald's hopes that an investment in technology is the special sauce that will transform drive-thru ordering. The fast-food giant announced Tuesday that it has an agreement to acquire Apprente, a Silicon Valley-based start-up specializing in conversational voice-based ordering technology. McDonald's said the technology understands different accents and is "expected to allow for faster, simpler and more accurate order taking at the Drive Thru" and could also be incorporated into kiosks and mobile ordering. "Building our technology infrastructure and digital capabilities are fundamental to our Velocity Growth Plan and enable us to meet rising expectations from our customers, while making it simpler and even more enjoyable for crew members to serve guests," Steve Easterbrook, McDonald's president and CEO, said in a news release.