The poor man only wanted a large Mountain Dew. That should have been the end of the order. Instead, the speaker shot back in a friendly but robotic tone, “And what will you drink with that?” No matter how many times the driver answered, the same line came again. The clip, filmed in a Taco Bell drive-thru, has since gone viral. Millions watched him spar with a digital order-taker that seemed less like helpful tech and more like a cruel sadist.

That exchange, and dozens like it, highlight why Taco Bell is considering backing away from its experiment with AI at the drive-thru window. Dane Mathews, the company’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, recently admitted that the system simply doesn’t hold up under pressure.

The program began in 2023, when Taco Bell rolled out voice-driven AI across more than 500 U.S. restaurants

The promise was efficiency: fewer mistakes, faster service, and a seamless ordering experience. The reality was more like a comedy show with a broken laugh track.

Customers learned quickly that the system could be tricked into absurd scenarios, from ordering 18,000 cups of water to being told the store was out of everything but sauce packets.

Employees also found themselves cleaning up after botched transactions

Some customers ended up with triple chalupas they didn’t ask for. Others tried swapping beef for beans, only to be flatly denied, Gizmodo shared. As frustrations piled up, many took their experiences online, where Reddit threads and Instagram clips piled millions of views.

Mathews explained that AI isn’t completely useless in the restaurant world. Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum Brands, is still working with Nvidia to improve the technology.

But he acknowledged that when restaurants get slammed with long lines and late-night crowds, humans do a better job of handling orders. He said teams would be trained on when to let AI assist and when to take over.

The misadventures aren’t unique to Taco Bell

McDonald’s already scrapped some of its AI order-taking after mistakes turned ice cream cones into bacon sundaes and chicken nuggets into a triple-digit bill.

Wendy’s and White Castle are testing similar systems, with early results suggesting they face the same hurdles: machines that misunderstand, customers who get creeped out, and social media that turns every glitch into a viral moment.

Despite the blunders, Taco Bell reports that two million AI orders have been processed without incident

Still, the chain is learning the hard way that automation in the drive-thru isn’t a guaranteed shortcut to progress. In fact, Mathews admitted, it might be better to simply let people handle the job. Sometimes a human ear really is the best piece of technology on the menu.