Matthew Spessard on generative AI
From Wendy’s AI-Powered Drive-Thru: CIO Matt Spessard on FreshAi & Transforming QSR | Technovation 955 · · Metis Strategy
“We moved from rule-based AI solutions to generative AI by training a large language model on our menu data to 'speak Wendy.' This shift allowed us to handle complex conversational ordering and scale the solution effectively.”
On , Matthew Spessard, Chief Information Officer at WENDY'S CO, spoke about generative AI during Wendy’s AI-Powered Drive-Thru: CIO Matt Spessard on FreshAi & Transforming QSR | Technovation 955 on Metis Strategy.
About Matthew Spessard
Matt Spessard, Chief Information Officer at Wendy's since February 2024, discussed the company's technology initiatives in a March 2025 interview on the Technovation podcast. He stated that his responsibilities include global technology efforts such as restaurant technology, data management, analytics, software engineering, and information security. Spessard noted that Wendy's launched a new CRM and loyalty capabilities in 2024 while rebuilding its digital platform and mobile app, resulting in digital revenue in 2024 being more than 40% higher than in 2023. Spessard described the company's Fresh AI platform, which he said redefines the drive-thru experience by improving order accuracy and freeing crew members to focus on preparing orders. He stated that Wendy's spent a year piloting Fresh AI in a single restaurant before expanding, and as of the interview, it was deployed in just under 100 restaurants across 18 states. Spessard also outlined the company's innovation pipeline, where he said the team rapidly prototypes ideas and ejects those that do not prove value, considering success to be ejecting six out of seven ideas. He mentioned reading a book on neuroeconomics and expressed interest in emerging technologies including edge computing, low earth orbit satellite technology, and spatial computing.