Fast food chain McDonald’s has announced its plans to buy Israeli artificial intelligence company Dynamic Yield for US$300 million in a bid to improve in-store ordering and customise its drive-through menu displays based on differing variables.

The acquisition, McDonald’s first in years and its biggest in two decades, will allow McDonald’s to customise its menu displays based on different variables like the weather, the time of day, current restaurant traffic, trending menu items and previous customer choices.

Using data, the solution can also instantly suggest and display additional items to a customer’s order based on his or her current selections.

The fast food giant tested the technology in several US restaurants in 2018, according to Digital Yield. Upon acquisition, McDonald’s will roll it out at its drive-through locations in the US this year before expanding it overseas.

The company announced it also plans to introduce the technology in all of its digital customer experience touchpoints, such as self-order kiosks and the McDonald’s mobile app.

“Technology is a critical element of our Velocity Growth Plan, enhancing the experience for our customers by providing greater convenience on their terms,” said Steve Easterbrook, president and CEO of McDonald’s Corporation.

“With this acquisition, we’re expanding both our ability to increase the role technology and data will play in our future and the speed with which we’ll be able to implement our vision of creating more personalised experiences for our customers.”