Wendy’s Quality Supply Chain Co-op (QSCC), a purchasing cooperative that services more than 6,400 Wendy’s restaurants in the United States and Canada, teamed with Palantir Technologies to accelerate its digital transformation and adoption of artificial intelligence.
Via the partnership, Palantir, a provider of AI systems, will help QSCC develop an integrated supply chain network; implement AI-driven, automated workflows; and build a connected ecosystem of suppliers, distributors and restaurants, the companies said in a Wednesday (Aug. 7) press release.
“Together with Palantir, we’re unlocking the inherent power of the supply chain ecosystem to drive new and compelling sales and operating efficiencies that will provide Wendy’s with a distinctive edge in the industry,” QSCC President and CEO Pete Suerken said in the release.
In the first phase of the digital transformation, QSCC will move onto Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), according to the release. The platform will enable the company to improve the scale and speed of decision-making by connecting disparate data sources.
In the second phase, QSCC will use Palantir AIP for supply chain management and waste prevention, the release said. By doing so, the co-op will generate cost savings and efficiencies across the supply chain by deploying the capabilities of large language models and other AI systems.
Together, these changes will benefit the quick service restaurant (QSR) company’s restaurant operators, suppliers and distributors, Ted Mabrey, head of global commercial at Palantir, said in the release.
“Our AI operating system powers many of America’s most important companies, giving them a technology-driven competitive advantage, and we are excited to continue to grow in the QSR sector with this iconic brand and an ambitious vision,” Mabrey said.
Wendy’s restaurants have already deployed AI systems in some customer-facing applications.
In March 2023, the company unveiled an AI-based loyalty platform that analyzes customer data to create tailored offers and rewards. The system uses gamification, rewarding customers to encourage and recognize their loyalty.
In May 2023, Wendy’s and Google teamed to bring AI to the fast-food chain’s drive-thrus, with the “Wendy’s FreshAI” system automating ordering. Wendy’s said at the time that the AI system allows customers to have conversations with it that feel natural, receive quick answers to their questions, and be understood, “even if their order isn’t phrased exactly as it appears on menus.”
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