Burger King Tests “Patty” – An AI Assistant That Listens, Coaches, and Helps Staff in Real Time

Artificial intelligence isn’t just coming for office jobs – it’s now stepping behind the fast-food counter.

Burger King is quietly testing a voice AI assistant called “Patty” that lives inside employees’ headsets and acts like a real-time coach, trainer, and operations manual all rolled into one. Instead of pulling out a handbook or calling a manager, workers can simply ask the AI what to do — while continuing to serve customers.

Patty is part of a larger internal system known as BK Assistant, a platform designed to connect everything happening inside a restaurant, from drive-thru conversations to kitchen equipment and inventory levels.

But here’s the part that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie: the AI also evaluates how friendly employees sound.

Burger King trained the system using feedback from franchise owners and customers to define what “good service” actually sounds like. The AI listens for polite phrases like greetings, “please,” and “thank you,” then generates performance insights managers can review. The company says it’s meant to coach staff, not punish them — though the idea of an AI grading your tone will definitely raise eyebrows.

Beyond monitoring interactions, Patty doubles as a hands-free knowledge base. Employees can ask practical questions in real time, like how to prepare a specific menu item or how to clean equipment. This is especially useful during rush hours when mistakes are costly and training time is limited.

Because the assistant connects directly to Burger King’s cloud-based systems, it can also track equipment failures and inventory shortages. If a machine goes down or an ingredient runs out, menus across kiosks, digital boards, and drive-thru systems can update automatically so customers don’t order items that aren’t available.

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Interestingly, Burger King isn’t rushing to replace human order-takers with AI voices just yet. While several major chains have experimented with fully automated drive-thrus, the company admits the technology is still a gamble — and not every customer is ready to talk to a robot while ordering fries.

For now, AI ordering is being tested in a limited number of locations, while the broader BK Assistant platform is scheduled to roll out across U.S. restaurants by the end of 2026. Patty itself is already being piloted in hundreds of stores.

The bigger picture is clear: fast food is becoming a proving ground for workplace AI. Instead of eliminating jobs outright, companies are deploying systems designed to boost consistency, speed, and training — essentially turning every employee into a semi-augmented worker with an always-on digital assistant.

If Burger King’s experiment succeeds, don’t be surprised if similar AI “coaches” start appearing in retail stores, hotels, call centers, and anywhere customer service quality directly impacts revenue.

Welcome to the era where your coworker might not be human — but it will definitely be listening.