Starbucks wants to use AI to show you a ‘personalized digital menu’ at the drive-thru

Judgment

Brian Niccol must decide whether drive-thru recognition runs only for customers who opt in — accepting a smaller base and a slower rollout in exchange for a consent record that survives regulator scrutiny — and commit to that answer before the 2027 barista-AI tests go live.

Basis

On Thursday's earnings call Niccol said Starbucks will explore "experiences that recognize participating customers as they arrive, present personalized digital menus, and make payment more effortless," per The Verge's Emma Roth. The word "participating" is the only consent language in the source. Starting in 2027 the chain will test background AI models at the drive-thru to help baristas "input orders more accurately and efficiently"; it already runs ChatGPT ordering and an internal Green Dot Assist tool, and may add "conversational and agentic" ordering later. Niccol called the menu work "early" and said "we'll test, learn, and scale what works," with no date attached. The mechanism matters because recognition requires identifying a person or vehicle before a menu can be rendered, so the consent decision gates the whole feature. Taco Bell is testing menu boards that change "on a car-by-car basis" and McDonald's ArchIQ identifies repeat customers, which is exactly why a stricter opt-in carries a visible competitive cost Niccol would have to defend.