Voice Ordering Flow
Complete step-by-step guide for drive-thru voice ordering.
Overview
The voice ordering flow combines AI-powered speech recognition with staff oversight to create fast, accurate drive-thru experiences. This guide covers the entire journey from customer arrival to order completion.
Complete Order Flow
Flow Diagram
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Drive-Thru Order Flow │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 1. ARRIVAL │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Vehicle detected at order point │ │
│ │ Voice AI activates → "Welcome to [Restaurant]!" │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ 2. ORDER TAKING │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Customer speaks order │ │
│ │ AI transcribes → Staff reviews → Items added │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ 3. UPSELL & SUGGESTIONS │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ AI suggests add-ons based on order │ │
│ │ Staff approves → AI speaks suggestion │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ 4. ORDER CONFIRMATION │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ AI reads back complete order │ │
│ │ Customer confirms or corrects │ │
│ │ Display shows order + total │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ 5. SEND TO KITCHEN │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Order sent to KDS │ │
│ │ AI directs customer to window │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ 6. PAYMENT │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Customer pays at window │ │
│ │ Receipt printed/emailed │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ 7. PICKUP │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Order handed to customer │ │
│ │ Order marked complete │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 1: Customer Arrival
Vehicle Detection
When a vehicle arrives at the order point:
- Sensor triggers (or staff presses "New Order")
- Voice AI activates listening mode
- Greeting plays through speaker box
- Staff alerted via headset tone
- Timer starts for order tracking
Greeting Examples
| Time of Day | AI Greeting |
|---|---|
| Morning | "Good morning! Welcome to Burger Palace. What can I get started for you?" |
| Afternoon | "Hi there! Welcome to Burger Palace. What sounds good today?" |
| Evening | "Good evening! Welcome to Burger Palace. Ready to order?" |
| Promotion | "Welcome! Try our new spicy chicken sandwich today. What can I get you?" |
Staff View
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Lane 1: NEW ORDER Order #1250 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Status: 🎤 AI Greeting Customer │
│ │
│ "Good afternoon! Welcome to Burger Palace. │
│ What can I get started for you today?" │
│ │
│ [🔊 Speaking...] Time: 0:03 │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Quick Actions: │ │
│ │ [Take Over] [Skip Greeting] [Menu Board] [Special Request] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 2: Order Taking
Listening Mode
After greeting, AI enters listening mode:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Customer Speech (Live Transcription) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ "Yeah I'll take a, um, double cheeseburger combo │
│ with a large fry and... what drinks do you have?" │
│ │
│ [🎤 LISTENING...] Confidence: 91% │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
AI Item Detection
As customer speaks, AI detects menu items:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AI Detected Items │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ✅ Double Cheeseburger Combo $9.99 [Accept] [Edit] │
│ ✅ Large Fry (included) $0.00 [Accept] [Edit] │
│ ⏳ Drink: Waiting for selection... │
│ │
│ [Accept All] [Reject All] [Add Item] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Handling Questions
When customer asks a question:
Customer: "What drinks do you have?"
AI Response Options:
| Mode | Response |
|---|---|
| Full AI | AI reads drink menu automatically |
| AI Assist | AI displays suggestion, staff approves |
| Manual | Staff responds via headset |
AI Suggestion:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Customer asked about: DRINKS │
│ │
│ Suggested Response: │
│ "We have Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Dr Pepper, lemonade, │
│ iced tea, and chocolate or vanilla shakes." │
│ │
│ [Speak This] [Edit] [Skip - I'll Answer] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Adding Items Manually
If AI misses an item or customer requests something specific:
- Click [Add Item] or use keyboard shortcut
- Search or browse menu
- Select item
- Add modifiers if needed
- Item appears in order
Step 3: Modifiers & Customization
Common Modifiers
AI detects common modifications:
| Speech | AI Interpretation |
|---|---|
| "No onions" | Modifier: Remove onions |
| "Extra pickles" | Modifier: Add extra pickles |
| "Make it large" | Size: Large |
| "No ice" | Modifier: No ice |
| "Light mayo" | Modifier: Light mayo |
Modifier Display
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Double Cheeseburger $5.99 │
│ ├── Modifier: No onions $0.00 │
│ ├── Modifier: Extra pickles $0.00 │
│ └── Modifier: Add bacon $1.50 │
│ │
│ Item Total: $7.49 │
│ [Edit] [Remove] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Complex Modifications
For modifications AI can't parse:
- AI flags: "Modification unclear"
- Staff clicks item to open modifier panel
- Staff adds modifications manually
- Staff confirms with customer
Step 4: Upsell Suggestions
AI-Powered Suggestions
Based on the order, AI suggests add-ons:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 💡 AI Suggestion │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Based on order: Double Cheeseburger Combo │
│ │
│ Suggest: "Would you like to add a chocolate chip cookie │
│ for just $1.49?" │
│ │
│ Upsell Success Rate: 34% │
│ Avg Revenue Increase: $1.82 │
│ │
│ [Suggest to Customer] [Different Suggestion] [Skip] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Upsell Strategy
AI selects upsells based on:
| Factor | Example |
|---|---|
| Order contents | Burger → suggest shake |
| Time of day | Breakfast → suggest coffee |
| Weather | Hot day → suggest cold drink |
| Popular pairings | Fries → suggest dipping sauce |
| Promotions | Featured items |
Staff Control
Staff Always Has Final Say
Voice AI suggestions are recommendations, not automatic actions. Staff must approve every AI-generated upsell before it is spoken to the customer. You can skip, modify, or disable upsells at any time.
Staff can:
- Accept suggestion and let AI speak it
- Modify suggestion before speaking
- Skip if inappropriate for situation
- Disable upsells for this order
Step 5: Order Confirmation
AI Read-Back
When order appears complete, AI reads it back:
AI Speaking:
"Okay, I have a Double Cheeseburger Combo with no onions and
extra pickles, large fry, and a large Coke. Your total is
$11.49. Does that sound right?"
Customer Display
Customer sees order on outdoor display:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ YOUR ORDER │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 1x Double Cheeseburger Combo ................ $9.99 │
│ - No onions │
│ - Extra pickles │
│ - Large Coke │
│ - Large Fry │
│ │
│ ────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Subtotal ..................................... $9.99 │
│ Tax .......................................... $0.80 │
│ ────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ TOTAL ........................................ $10.79 │
│ │
│ Please confirm or let us know any changes │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Handling Corrections
If customer requests changes:
Customer: "Actually, make that a medium Coke instead"
AI Actions:
- Detects modification request
- Updates item in order
- Confirms: "Changed to medium Coke. New total is $10.49."
Step 6: Send to Kitchen
Finalizing Order
When customer confirms:
- Staff clicks [Send to Kitchen] or AI auto-sends (if enabled)
- Order transmitted to KDS
- AI speaks: "Thank you! Please pull forward to the first window."
- Customer display shows: "Please pull forward"
KDS Integration
Order appears on Kitchen Display:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DRIVE-THRU #1250 Timer: 0:00 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 🔴 Double Cheeseburger │
│ - NO ONIONS │
│ - EXTRA PICKLES │
│ │
│ 🟢 Large Fry │
│ │
│ 🟢 Large Coke │
│ │
│ [Start] Lane 1 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 7: Payment
Window Display
At payment window, staff sees:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Order #1250 - Lane 1 PAYMENT DUE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 1x Double Cheeseburger Combo ................ $9.99 │
│ ────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Subtotal ..................................... $9.99 │
│ Tax .......................................... $0.80 │
│ ────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ TOTAL ........................................ $10.79 │
│ │
│ Payment Method: │
│ [Cash] [Credit] [Debit] [Mobile Pay] [Gift Card] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Payment Processing
- Select payment method
- Process transaction
- Print/email receipt
- Mark payment complete
- Order moves to pickup queue
Step 8: Pickup
Pickup Window Display
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PICKUP QUEUE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 🚗 #1250 - READY 3 items │ │
│ │ Double Cheese Combo, Large Fry, Large Coke │ │
│ │ [Hand Out] [Reprint] [Issue] │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 🚗 #1249 - PREPARING Timer: 2:15│ │
│ │ Chicken Sandwich, Medium Fry │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 🚗 #1248 - PREPARING Timer: 3:02│ │
│ │ 2x Big Mac, 2x Large Fry, 2x Medium Drink │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Order Handoff
Verify Before Handing Out
Always compare the physical order contents against the on-screen item list before clicking Hand Out. Once handed out, the order is marked complete and corrections require a new transaction.
- Verify order contents match
- Click [Hand Out]
- Order marked complete
- Metrics updated
- Next order advances
Special Scenarios
Mobile Order Pickup
For customers with mobile orders:
- AI asks: "Do you have a mobile order?"
- Customer provides name/order number
- Staff retrieves mobile order
- Standard payment/pickup flow
Large/Catering Orders
For orders over $50 or 10+ items:
- AI flags as large order
- Staff may need manager approval
- Longer prep time estimated
- Customer may be asked to pull to waiting area
Order Modifications After Sending
If customer remembers something:
- Use [Add to Order] before payment
- Additional items sent to kitchen
- Total updated
- Customer informed of new total
Canceled Orders
If customer leaves:
- Click [Cancel Order]
- Select reason
- Items removed from kitchen queue (if possible)
- Logged for analytics
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
F1 | New order |
F2 | Toggle Voice AI |
F3 | Send to kitchen |
F4 | Void item |
F5 | Manager override |
Enter | Accept AI suggestion |
Space (hold) | Manual override (temporary) |
Esc | Cancel current action |
Tab | Next order in queue |
Related Documentation
- Voice AI Guide - AI overlay interface details
- Lane Management - Multi-lane coordination
- Training - Voice AI customization
- Troubleshooting - Common issues