Starbucks (SBUX) to Test AI "Fast Pass" Drive-Thru Ordering via App

Starbucks (SBUX) plans to test a background AI model that would let drive-thru baristas identify customers, their usual orders and their vehicles as they enter the lane, CEO Brian Niccol said following the company's latest quarterly earnings. Roughly half of Starbucks customers use the drive-thru. Under the concept, a customer who opens the app and pulls into the lane would trigger a display of their recent order, allowing the barista to ask, "The usual?" Niccol said payment would already be settled, leaving customers to collect their drinks and go. Ordering ahead requires a Starbucks account. Active members in the chain's loyalty program hit a record 36 million in the past 90 days, and fourth-quarter same-store sales rose 7.2%. Starbucks faces intensifying drive-thru competition from Dutch Bros (BROS), 7Brew and Scooter's Coffee, and is chasing afternoon demand for energy drinks and snacks—a segment TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles said the company will likely prioritize through drink innovation and marketing.