"has ramped up the application of artificial intelligence across the restaurant chain's operations, including the drive-thru, mobile ordering, rover delivery, and robotic arms that whip up french fries. But he is cautious not to lose the human touch of hospitality. That AI-enabled drive-thru-a trendy application of AI that historically hasn't had the smoothest deployment for larger chains including McDonald's and Taco Bell -isn't intended to replace workers. "Our strategy is to allow the human to do more with the robot assistant," says Davoyan."
"All that said, successful deployments of AI, robotics, and other emerging technologies could give Dave's Hot Chicken an edge in the fast-growing and highly competitive chicken restaurant category that includes incumbent brands like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes and fast-growing concepts like Raising Cane's, Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken & Wings, and Dave's. Quick-service and fast-casual chicken restaurants expanded their domestic unit count by 4.7% in 2024 from the prior year, along with a sales leap of nearly 10%, according to market research Datassential."
Leon Davoyan, chief technology officer at Dave's Hot Chicken, has increased AI use across drive-thru, mobile ordering, rover delivery, and robotic fryers while emphasizing hospitality. The AI-enabled drive-thru is designed to augment human workers rather than replace them. Deployments of AI, robotics, and emerging technologies aim to provide a competitive edge in a rapidly growing chicken restaurant category. The chain experienced unit and sales growth in 2024, underscoring market momentum. The company is developing more precise predictions for food readiness and displaying times on in-store digital order boards. AI learnings may train large language models for future mobile app functionality.
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