A robot to help you order pancakes? IHOP enters the AI game with online order suggestions

Can’t decide what to order at IHOP? Artificial intelligence can help.

IHOP last week announced plans to launch an AI-powered recommendation engine that will suggest food orders to customers online. The technology is powered by Google Cloud’s Recommendations AI, which draws on Google's experience suggesting content on YouTube and other platforms.

The rollout comes as more IHOP customers switch to online ordering, with the to-go business now making up more than 20% of the brand's total sales.

“Our new partnership with Google Cloud infuses AI into IHOP's online ordering experience, making it even easier for our guests to place online orders, quickly find the items they love, and discover our newest products relevant to their individual tastes and interests,” said IHOP Chief Marketing Officer Kieran Donahue in a Friday press release. 

With the new technology, logged-in customers ordering from IHOP will see personalized suggestions based on their preferences, promotions and pricing. So customers who have previously ordered spicy dishes may see the poblano eggs benedicts pop up as a recommendation.

Customers should see more personalized recommendations when ordering online from IHOP restaurants nationwide "in the coming months," according to the release.

Other businesses in the restaurant industry are also experimenting with ways to implement AI. Some fast food chains, including Wendy’s and the parent company behind Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, have been testing out AI at drive-thru windows. And food delivery platform DoorDash on Monday said it was developing a new service that has AI take customers' restaurant orders over the phone.

AI at the drive-thru:Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s partnering with AI companies to automate drive-thrus