Red Lobster & Captain D’s Add AI Voice Ordering at Scale

Two of America’s best-known seafood chains just became the latest proof that AI order-taking has crossed from experiment to rollout. Red Lobster and Captain D’s each announced plans to use artificial intelligence to take orders — Red Lobster over the phone, Captain D’s in the drive-thru. They join a fast-growing list of restaurant brands tapping AI to automate order-taking in a bid to improve efficiency and sales.

If you run an independent restaurant, your first reaction might be “that’s a chain thing.” But that’s the wrong takeaway. The real signal for you is about answering what you’re already missing today — the call that goes to voicemail during the dinner rush, the same repeat customer who never hears about a new menu item, the ticket that never gets an upsell. That’s exactly the gap these chains are spending real money to close, and the underlying tools are no longer chain-only.

Red Lobster: AI Answers Every Call, Somewhere Around 500 Locations

Red Lobster is partnering with SoundHound to automate the phone lines at all of its roughly 500 locations. SoundHound’s AI is trained on the casual-dining chain’s menu and can take orders and answer customer questions. Importantly, customers can still ask to be connected to a human staffer if they’d prefer to talk to a person — so it’s not a wall of automation, it’s a first responder that never puts customers on hold and never lets a call go unanswered.

The technology’s core promise is in the press release: Red Lobster will answer every call, even when restaurant staff are busy. That single line matters more than any feature. For any restaurant, a missed call is a missed order — and during the lunch or dinner rush, the phone is exactly when you’re least able to pick it up.

“With SoundHound’s cutting-edge voice AI technology, we’re able to streamline the takeout process to make ordering faster and easier for our guests; including quick and seamless reordering for those who always want their favorites,” Red Lobster COO Larry Konecny said in the announcement.

The timing is no accident. Since emerging from bankruptcy last year, the Orlando-based chain has been investing in operations and customer experience, including technology upgrades. Voice AI is the newest line item in that turnaround.

The core idea behind the chain rollouts: an AI voice agent answers every call, so a missed call stops being a missed order — and it can upsell and sign up loyalty members while it takes the order.

Captain D’s: AI in the Drive-Thru With Upsells Built In

At Captain D’s, Presto Phoenix is supplying the AI drive-thru ordering system — which can take orders as well as nudge customers with upsells. That’s the detail independents should note: the AI isn’t just transcribing orders, it’s actively selling, the way a well-trained drive-thru operator would.

Presto already works with Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s, Taco John’s, and Wienerschnitzel, and is now taking its technology into the fast-food seafood category. Captain D’s CIO Sean McAnally said at the FSTEC conference last week that he was intrigued by voice AI’s ability to help enroll loyalty members by always asking for signups — a manual step that drive-thru staff rarely remember mid-rush. Down the road, he believes it will be able to identify customers and personalize offerings depending on who’s ordering.

This is the first phase of a broader AI partnership with the 525-unit Captain D’s chain, which means the drive-thru rollout is likely just the beginning.

Why This Matters for Independent Restaurant Owners

These are two massive chains making the same bet at once. That’s a leading indicator for your market, even if you run one location. Three lessons transfer directly to an independent operation:

• The phone is a revenue channel you’re leaving money on. If two chains are automating call answering to make sure no call goes unanswered, that’s a direct admission that missed calls cost them real sales. Your restaurant has the same problem — just without the budget for a custom enterprise rollout.
• Upselling and loyalty capture are automatic, not optional-skills. Captain D’s specifically wants AI to always ask for loyalty signups, because human staff forget under pressure. An AI that consistently asks “want to make that a large?” or “want to join our rewards for a free side?” can raise average ticket and repeat visits without adding labor.
• Text-and-voice AI is no longer chain-only. The same voice-answering and ordering technology behind these rollouts is being packaged into tools priced for independent operators — you don’t need 500 locations to use it.

The lesson for independents: a missed call during the rush is money walking out the door. Let AI handle the first 80 percent of simple orders and route the rest to a human.

Not Everyone Is Sold: The Skeptics Worth Hearing

It’s not all enthusiasm. Taco Bell said last month it is rethinking how it uses voice AI at the drive-through, per a Wall Street Journal report, and there were skeptics in the crowd at FSTEC. That included Captain D’s competitor Long John Silver’s, which has found that older customers tend to dislike the experience.

That’s a genuinely useful caution for independents: voice AI is not universally loved. Accuracy still has questions, and some guests — especially older ones — want a human voice. The winning approach, based on how the chains are deploying it, isn’t “replace all human contact.” It’s use AI as the always-ready first line, let it perfect the first 80% of simple orders, and always offer an easy path to a human. That’s the balance Red Lobster is striking with its “press to talk to a staffer” escape hatch.

Comparing the Two Chain Approaches

Red Lobster and Captain D’s are solving similar problems in different parts of the order channel. Here’s how the two deployments compare:

The through-line for both: AI handles the repetitive front-line work so human staff can focus on speed of service and the customer experience someone actually needs a person for.

Two paths to the same goal: Red Lobster automates the phone at roughly 500 locations with SoundHound AI, while Captain D’s leans on Presto Phoenix in the drive-thru to upsell and capture loyalty signups automatically.

What AI Voice Ordering Means for Your Restaurant

The honest read for an independent operator is a practical one. You don’t need 500 locations to benefit from the same principles. Here’s where to start:

• First, fix the missed-call problem. If your restaurant misses calls during the rush, that’s money walking out the door — and it’s the exact pain Red Lobster is paying to solve. A phone-answering AI that always picks up is now affordable at an independent scale.
• Second, use AI to nail the upsell. Captain D’s wants the AI to always offer to upsize. An AI ordering assistant can do the same consistency-shine at your counter or drive-thru without relying on a rushed employee to remember.
• Third, automate loyalty capture. If “always ask for the rewards signup” is the goal the CIO named, that’s a job AI does flawlessly and humans forget. It’s low-cost high-value automation.
• Fourth, keep the human escape hatch. The older-customer pushback Long John Silver’s saw is real. Offer an easy way to talk to a person, and you get the efficiency without the alienation.

Not every restaurant should adopt voice AI the same way. The right starting point depends on your channel mix, your staffing, and your guests’ comfort. Here’s a quick decision guide for the independent operator:

Fact Check: Should You Adopt AI Ordering Now?

Three checks before you act. First, know your guest base — if a meaningful share of your customers are older and prefer a human voice, stage the rollout so AI handles overflow and simple orders first. Second, trial the human escape hatch — make it prominent; the data points to customers feeling comfortable as long as reaching a person is easy. Third, start on one channel — phone answering or drive-thru or counter, not all at once — and measure against a real baseline like “calls answered” or “average upsell rate” before you expand.

The chains moving now aren’t proof you must follow today. They’re proof the technology works well enough to spend eight-figure budgets on — which means the risk-adjusted moment for smaller operators to test it, carefully, has arrived. For more tools and strategy, see our breakdown of what diners actually think of restaurant AI, or browse the full industry news library.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which chains are adopting AI voice ordering?

Red Lobster is adding SoundHound AI to answer phone calls at roughly 500 locations, and Captain D’s is deploying Presto Phoenix’s AI drive-thru system across its 525-unit chain. Presto also works with Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s, Taco John’s, and Wienerschnitzel.

Does AI voice ordering replace human staff?

In these rollouts, no. Red Lobster’s system lets customers connect to a human staffer if they prefer, and Captain D’s frames AI as the first phase of a broader partnership. The design goal is AI handling the front-line repetitive orders while staff focus on service.

Does AI order-taking actually upsell?

Yes — Presto Phoenix’s drive-thru system can nudge customers with upsells, and Captain D’s CIO highlighted the AI’s ability to consistently ask for loyalty signups, which staff under pressure often forget.

Are there downsides to AI ordering?

Yes. Taco Bell is rethinking its voice AI rollout, and Long John Silver’s has found older customers tend to dislike the experience. Accuracy and customer willingness remain open questions, so a human escape option is important.

Can an independent restaurant use AI ordering?

Yes — the same phone-answering and ordering technology is now packaged for smaller operations. The lessons (answer every call, automate upsells and loyalty capture, keep a human option) transfer directly to independent restaurants.