McDonald's has already implemented self serve kiosks at its various restaurant locations in different countries worldwide, and now they are looking to test automated drive through service that's voice activated, and in Chicago they will be experimenting with robots that can fry up chicken, fish, and fries.

Service has become painfully slow, which shouldn't be the case if you are looking for fast food, so McDonald's wants to try and speed things up to get ahead of the competition in that regard.

They will be looking to these new features to see if they can help to smooth things out and move customers along so that they can get their food quicker.

In 2016, the average wait time for a drive-through at McDonald's was roughly 208.16 seconds which is about 25 percent faster than the service times seen about ten years prior.

The truth is that things have been slowing down, when McDonald's used to be known for their fast service, and that could be driving people away to consider other options. If you are going to have to wait 15+ minutes for lunch here, then that opens up many other options that might be able to serve you faster.

As for who is the fastest, there are many others that come before McDonald's, according to the QSR Drive-Thru Study, like Burger King, Taco Bell, Carl's Jr, and even Arby's.

They expect the implementation of the new technology to help make jobs easier for employees working with the company, allowing them to focus more on customer service.

Fast-food employers have reportedly been struggling to fill positions, along with the increasing pressure in many areas to push for a higher minimum wage etc, it's prompted a growing number of restaurants to consider further automation to try and reduce costs and improve service.

Those who have tested the new drive-thru software say that it's worked perfectly, and according to the CEO for the company, their goal for this year is to focus is on operational execution in all of their restaurants; they're looking to optimize the experience for guests.

They have also been looking to shrink their menu to try and simplify the experience and business operations.

McDonald's drive-throughs are a $27 billion business on their own and the company has been heavily invested in improving that space, customizing it to provide a better overall experience. There are plans to test the new automated beverage and fry machines at more locations soon, as well as the new voice-activated drive-throughs.

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