Michael Chorey, Founder of Wendy’s FreshAi, to Join Presto as Co-Founder and President of Presto IQ

SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 13, 2025--

Presto, the company that pioneered drive-thru Voice AI, today announced that Michael Chorey, the founder of Wendy’s FreshAi, has joined the company to build Presto IQ, the first AI-native dynamic data offering for the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry.

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In this role, Chorey will work with Presto to grow its drive-thru Voice AI platform and lead the development of the new Presto IQ business unit. Chorey is widely recognized for pioneering AI experiences that are both operationally sound and emotionally intelligent. Presto IQ will integrate dynamic data sources, enabling restaurants and other QSR industry members to personalize their offerings to serve the needs of customers, crew, and operators in real time.

“I’m thrilled to become a Prestonian at such an exciting time for both the industry and the company. I’ve known the Presto team for a long time and admire their pioneering vision as well as their understanding of the restaurant industry,” said Chorey, co-founder and President of Presto IQ.

“I have deep experience conceptualizing and bringing AI to life in an enterprise restaurant setting, but I have always believed personalization is the key to unlocking even more value for all stakeholders,” said Chorey. “I build for the parent in the drive-thru, the crew member on their first shift, and the operator trying to make a thousand decisions. The Presto team is the only one that shares this vision, and I'm excited to bring Presto IQ to market.”

Chorey’s move marks a defining moment in the industry’s shift toward a responsive platform like Presto that earns trust by honoring industry context, not just automating transactions.

“In order to deliver AI to restaurants, you need deep restaurant industry experience, and Mike is one of the few leaders in the QSR space who understands the big picture and also how to operationalize it at the ground level,” said Krishna Gupta, co-founder of Presto. “Through his work with Wendy’s, Mike adds to the 100+ years of restaurant experience of our leadership team and is a major asset for our company.

“Having spent more than a decade in Voice AI, I’m excited about the opportunity we have today to take the recent advances in AI, marry them with our market leadership, and bring Presto IQ to all industry players as a first-of-its-kind offering.”

About Presto Phoenix, Inc.

Presto is the Voice AI market leader for restaurant drive-thrus. Presto’s products increase revenue, decrease labor costs, improve staff productivity, and standardize/enhance the guest experience. Presto is expanding nationwide with some of the most recognized quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands in the United States. Based in Silicon Valley, Presto is backed by Voice AI specialist Remus Capital and aims to deliver a full suite of Vertical AI solutions for restaurant chains to enable end-to-end automation.

Michael Chorey

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs starter Jameson Taillon thinks he'll end up on the injured list after he left Chicago's 2-1, 10-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night with a strained left hamstring.

Taillon walked Matt Chapman to lead off the second with Chicago trailing 1-0. Then, the Cubs training staff and manager Craig Counsell came to the mound to talk to the right-hander. After a brief discussion, Taillon walked to the dugout and was replaced by righty Javier Assad, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.

“I don't think it's crazy,” said Taillon, who'll have an MRI on Monday. “Like, I'm walking around and moving around. Obviously, it will be an IL stint, but hopefully we can keep the arm conditioned and moving around. I don't think it's surgical or anything like that.”

Taillon said he first felt discomfort in the hamstring after throwing an inside changeup to Chapman that made the count 2-2 in the at-bat.

“And then kind of in-between pitches, I was kind of trying to weigh whether I should throw another pitch or not, then threw the 3-2 pitch and kind of felt it a little more,” Taillon said. “Nothing I've ever felt. Unfortunately, just kind of one pitch did it.”

Taillon allowed a run in the first inning Sunday on a walk followed by two singles, pushing his ERA to 5.19. He entered the game 2-5 and had lost four straight decisions over his previous five starts.

Assad followed with 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, along with a walk and a hit batter. He retired the final 12 Giants hitters he faced.

San Francisco won it in the 10th when Chapman singled in automatic runner Jonah Cox. The Giants won for the fourth time in their last five games and handed Chicago its 20th loss in 27.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)