Starbucks explores using AI to identify customers who come in and display a personalized digital menu
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said on Thursday’s earnings conference call that the company will explore an experience that would identify participating customers when they arrive, display a personalized digital menu, and make payment easier. The statement was aimed at the drive-thru scenario and is intended to improve in-store ordering efficiency and personalization. Niccol said the related work is still at an early stage and that the company will test, learn, and scale what works.
The company also plans to test a back-end AI model in drive-thrus starting in 2027 to help baristas enter orders more accurately and efficiently. In addition, Starbucks plans to integrate AI into the search and discovery functions of its app and may support conversational and agentic ordering in the future. The company had previously enabled ordering through ChatGPT and rolled out the AI-assisted tool Green Dot Assist to employees for questions such as recipes and service standards.
Current public information does not disclose specific identification technology details, the number of pilot stores, or a rollout timeline. The display of the personalized digital menu is limited to participating customers, which typically corresponds to members/loyalty program users. The company said the goal is to improve customer and employee experience and increase throughput, but it has not provided any quantitative performance data. Source: public information.
Original sources:
Title: Starbucks wants to use AI to show you a ‘personalized digital menu’ at the drive-thru
Publisher: The Verge
Publication date: 2026-10-30
URL: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1023440/starbucks-ai-personalized-menu-drive-thru
Source type: media report (citing the earnings conference call)
Verification status: read
Supported content: Niccol’s remarks, personalized digital menu and identifying arriving customers, 2027 back-end AI test, early-stage statementTitle: Starbucks puts greater personalization on the menu for 2027
Publisher: CX Dive
Publication date: 2026-10-30
URL: https://www.customerexperiencedive.com/news/starbucks-greater-personalization-on-menu-2027/873361/
Source type: industry media report
Verification status: read
Supported content: drive-thru identification and personalized menu plans, AI integration on the app side, Niccol’s remarks on throughput
ABAB AI Insight
The core of Niccol’s statement this time is to extend existing member data and ordering history from the app to the drive-thru, and to use identifying participating customers to enable personalized menu displays and simpler payment. Public information does not specify whether the identification method is license plates, app location, Bluetooth, cameras, or some other means; it only limits the target to participating members, indicating that the current scope remains bounded by the loyalty program rather than identifying all customers who come in. The company describes this as an early-stage exploration and explicitly says it will test, learn, and scale what works, indicating that it has not yet moved into large-scale deployment.
Drive-thru is an important traffic entry point for Starbucks. Back-end AI-assisted order entry for baristas (to be tested in 2027) and front-end personalized menu displays are being advanced in parallel, with the goal of improving both customer waiting experience and employee operating efficiency, and ultimately increasing throughput. Starbucks had previously tested conversational recommendations in the app and with ChatGPT; this time, it is extending personalization to the digital menu boards in physical stores, which is an extension from online recommendations to offline ordering interfaces. Similar to what chains such as McDonald’s have tried with voice AI or regular-customer identification in drive-thrus, Starbucks is currently emphasizing identification + personalized menu + payment, rather than fully automated ordering.
Actual implementation still faces constraints such as identification accuracy, privacy and the scope of member coverage, the effect of menu personalization on order complexity, and whether service time is truly shortened. The company did not disclose pilot data or the scale of investment, and this is currently only a directional statement made on the earnings call. If the tests prove effective, it could create a path where members see a dedicated menu as soon as they arrive; if identification or personalization fails to significantly improve conversion and efficiency, it may remain a small-scale trial.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
The premise for a personalized digital menu is identifying participating customers, and the current boundary remains within the membership system.
Extending app recommendations to the drive-thru menu is about pushing existing data capabilities into the physical ordering interface.
The company clearly remains in the early testing stage, and the results and scale-up will depend on subsequent validation rather than directional statements.