Plans for a drive-thru coffee shop with a difference on a piece of scrubland in Lincoln has been approved.

New brewer Bocca Felice reportedly uses AI-driven customer service, according to media reports.

The drive-thru could be built on land to the rear of Aldi on Wragby Road, bringing it into competition with nearby Costa and Starbucks branches.

Plans for the site on Deacon Road West include parking and electric vehicle driving points.

Bocca Felice’s website is still under development, but the founder has previously said that AI (artificial intelligence) would be used to take customers’ orders and make suggestions the same way a human would.

It claims the system delivers 98 per cent accuracy, and can make 350 cups of coffee per hour, around 20 times faster than traditional machines.

The plot of land is currently overgrown and unused.

The company has issued a spate of planning applications across the country, from Cheshire to Oxford, and says it plans to launch 80 new branches this year.

Planning documents for the application say: “The proposed drive-thru will provide a much-needed food/drink service for the surrounding area while also providing employment opportunities and will develop a site that is at present vacant.”

City of Lincoln Council has given approval to the plans by Hailsham-based Steel Frame Building Systems.

ARTICLE: Jamie Waller (Local Democracy Service)