Jersey Mike's to Implement SoundHound AI Technology for Optimized Voice Ordering

Jersey Mike’s officially has a new employee who will never call out sick, never get annoyed with customers, and never quit their job. Thanks to a partnership between voice AI company SoundHound AI, Inc. and Jersey Mike’s, a renowned sub-style sandwich chain, customers will now have the ability to place phone orders for pick-up via their "state-of-the-art voice AI ordering system." Optimized for natural human speech, Jersey Mike’s customers won’t have to modify their language or interact at a slow pace (and awkwardly) with the software – they can just speak naturally as they would to another human being.

In addition to taking orders, the unnamed AI-based “employee” will answer a broad range of menu questions (e.g., about specials and promotions), and even provide information about opening times, parking, allergens and a variety of other FAQs. The AI answers 100% of calls and can even take multiple orders at once. Significantly, this frees up Jersey Mike’s employees to focus on preparing food and providing customer support to customers in the restaurants.

Initially live at 50 of the chain’s 2,000 locations, SoundHound’s voice technology has been trained on the entirety of Jersey Mike’s menu – from the #17 Mike’s Famous Philly through to the #9 Club Supreme – and uses advanced AI to recognize items instantly as customers are talking, allowing the system to take food and drink orders effortlessly and with greater accuracy.

A recent study by SoundHound also found that restaurant technology is one of the top three drivers of customer satisfaction, and that nearly eight out of ten regular diners in the U.S. believe that most food ordering will be handled by AI voice assistants in the next few years.

“More than ever, restaurant customers are ordering for pick-up and delivery, and to keep them coming back businesses need to provide a slick, hassle free experience,” said Keyvan Mohajer, CEO and co-founder of SoundHound AI. “Technology is now a critical part of that, and Jersey Mike’s is at the forefront of brands embracing AI to deliver first-class customer service – from when they place the order, to handing over the sub. We’re excited to be working with them.”