SoundHound AI, Inc. and Acrelec, a global leader in quick service restaurant (QSR) technology, announced a strategic partnership on July 31, 2025, to deploy advanced voice-enabled drive-thru systems worldwide. This collaboration integrates SoundHound’s Dynamic Drive-Thru voice AI with Acrelec’s content management and digital signage, transforming restaurant operations and customer experiences.
SoundHound AI and Acrelec partner to deliver voice-enabled drive-thru systems.
Integrates SoundHound’s voice AI with Acrelec’s 25,000+ drive-thru installations.
Supports brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ across 80,000 global deployments.
Enhances speed, convenience, and labor optimization for QSRs.
SoundHound’s AI powers over 10,000 restaurant locations with billions of queries annually.
Addresses $150B QSR automation market, growing at 12% CAGR.
The partnership combines SoundHound’s Dynamic Drive-Thru voice AI with Acrelec’s content management system and digital signage enclosures, enabling seamless order processing directly to point-of-sale systems. This solution, already live in brands like Torchy’s Tacos, streamlines operations by automating order-taking, reducing wait times by up to 30%, and freeing staff for other tasks. “We’re helping brands modernize the drive-thru and deliver seamless, future-ready experiences,” said Michael Lauricella, VP of Channel Partnerships at SoundHound AI.
Restaurants face rising customer expectations, labor shortages, and operational pressures. “Through our partnership with SoundHound AI, we are empowering our clients with sophisticated AI solutions,” said Chloe Bisiaux, Director of Innovation & Marketing at Acrelec. The integrated system supports over 80,000 global deployments, including kiosks and self-checkout, serving QSR giants like McDonald’s and Dunkin’. It enhances guest experiences while addressing labor constraints, with 68% of QSRs citing staffing as a top challenge, per 2025 NRA data.
The QSR automation market, valued at $150 billion, is driven by AI adoption, with voice AI reducing order errors by 25%, per industry reports. SoundHound’s technology, backed by millions of hours of voice data and billions of annual queries, outperforms competitors like Presto, which lacks comparable multi-device integration. Acrelec’s GLORY LTD backing and 25,000 drive-thru installations strengthen the partnership’s global reach. X posts, including @QSRTech’s praise, highlight the solution’s scalability and impact.
SoundHound’s voice AI, deployed in over 10,000 locations, supports diverse applications like phone orders, kiosks, and headsets. The partnership leverages Acrelec’s infrastructure to accelerate adoption, targeting a 40% increase in voice-enabled drive-thrus by 2027. With 85% of QSR customers preferring automated ordering for speed, per Technomic, this collaboration positions both companies to lead in a rapidly evolving market.
SoundHound AI and Acrelec’s partnership redefines drive-thru experiences, combining cutting-edge voice AI with robust QSR technology to deliver efficiency, scalability, and enhanced customer satisfaction globally.
SoundHound AI (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice and conversational intelligence, delivers AI solutions that allow businesses to offer superior experiences to their customers. Built on proprietary technology, SoundHound’s voice AI delivers best-in-class speed and accuracy in numerous languages to product creators and service providers across retail, financial services, healthcare, automotive, smart devices, and restaurants. The company’s various groundbreaking AI-driven products include Smart Answering, Smart Ordering, Dynamic Drive-Thru, and the Amelia Platform, which powers AI Agents for enterprise. In addition, SoundHound Chat AI, a powerful voice assistant with integrated Generative AI, and Autonomics, a category-leading operations platform that automates IT processes, have allowed SoundHound to power millions of products and services, and processes billions of interactions each year for world class businesses.
Acrelec is a global technology company, part of Glory Group, focused on reinventing the customer experience for restaurant and retail brands. Leveraging decades of software, hardware, and service/support expertise, Acrelec develops and integrates new platforms that increase customer engagement, optimize efficiency, and improve operations. Serving nearly 70 global customers—including iconic brands such as McDonald's and Dunkin'— Acrelec counts over 120,000 installations and over 1,000 employees globally, bringing its robust tech ecosystem for drive-thru solutions, self-order kiosk, self-checkout, and operational solutions to people worldwide. Never satisfied with the status quo, Acrelec's passion is delivering breakthroughs that drive business results for their customers.
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