Burger King AI “Patty” Assistant Tracks Staff Interactions

Burger King debuts an artificial-intelligence headset assistant to help staff with orders and assess friendliness.

Burger King has introduced an artificial-intelligence assistant, “Patty,” that integrates with employee headsets to provide operational support and evaluate customer interactions.

Burger King’s new AI initiative centres on “Patty,” a voice-enabled chatbot built into employee headsets as part of the broader BK Assistant platform. The system is designed to assist staff with restaurant operations, including meal preparation guidance, equipment procedures, and inventory alerts, drawing on data from multiple restaurant functions.

The AI assistant can respond to employee questions such as specific food preparation steps for example, the number of bacon strips for a menu item and operational tasks like cleaning machinery. It also provides real-time alerts to managers when equipment requires maintenance or when menu items go out of stock; those updates can trigger adjustments across ordering interfaces within 15 minutes, including digital boards and kiosks.

Patty is powered by technology from OpenAI, and serves as the “voice” interface for the BK Assistant system. The platform aggregates data from drive-thru communications, kitchen equipment metrics, and inventory systems to inform responses and operational guidance.

A notable function of Patty is to detect and recognize specific phrases that Burger King leadership associates with “friendliness” in customer interactions. According to Burger King’s chief digital officer, Thibault Roux, the company trained the AI using input from franchisees and guests to identify phrases such as “welcome to Burger King,” “please,” and “thank you.” Managers can query the assistant for metrics on how a particular location is performing on these friendliness indicators.

Roux described Patty’s evaluation capabilities as a management coaching tool, noting the system is evolving to capture aspects of conversational tone, not solely discrete phrases.

The AI assistant is integrated with Burger King’s newer cloud-based point-of-sale system, enabling centralized updates and operational coordination across ordering platforms.

Burger King is currently testing Patty in approximately 500 restaurants. The company is also experimenting with AI for drive-thru operations in fewer than 100 locations, reflecting a cautious approach to wider deployment. Roux indicated not all guests may be ready for AI-driven interactions, a factor in the limited scope of current trials.

As part of its broader digital strategy, the BK Assistant platform, of which Patty is a component, is slated for rollout to all U.S. Burger King restaurants by the end of 2026, according to the Verge.