Burger King is piloting OpenAI-powered AI headsets in 500 U.S. restaurants, using a voice assistant called “Patty” to support employees with work tasks and to give managers operational information, Restaurant Brands International said Thursday. The system is part of the company’s app-based BK Assistant platform, which Burger King said will be available to all U.S. restaurants later this year.
As described by Burger King, Patty connects to restaurant operations and runs through the headset voice interface for staff. It can help employees answer practical questions in the moment, including how to make menu items, and it can also support digital menu changes when ingredients run out.
Burger King said the technology also collects signals about conditions inside the restaurant and routes relevant alerts to managers. In one example, Patty can monitor drink-machine levels and tell a manager if an item such as Diet Coke is running low.
Burger King also described how Patty can respond to customer reports. If a customer uses a QR code to report issues like a messy bathroom, Burger King said Patty can alert the store’s manager.
When asked about the headset’s ability to evaluate hospitality language, Burger King said the intent is not to score individual employees or enforce scripted lines. The company said Patty can track when employees use key words such as “welcome,” “please” and “thank you,” but that these words are intended as one of many signals to help managers understand service patterns.
“It’s not about scoring individuals or enforcing scripts. It’s about reinforcing great hospitality and giving managers helpful, real-time insights so they can recognize their teams more effectively,” Burger King said in a statement. Burger King added that it views hospitality as “fundamentally human” and that technology’s role is to support teams so they can stay present with guests.
Burger King is one of several fast-food chains experimenting with artificial intelligence. Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, said last spring that it was partnering with Nvidia to develop AI technologies for its brands. McDonald’s ended an IBM partnership in 2024 that was testing automated orders at its drive-thrus, and the company said it is now working with Google on AI systems.