For decades, drive-thru operations have been defined by human order-takers balancing speed, accuracy, and customer interaction under constant pressure. But that model is evolving. Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken is now extending Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker across its franchise network, positioning the technology as an optional enhancement designed to support, not replace, its operators.
The expansion follows strong performance across 30 initial locations and reflects a broader effort to modernize drive-thru operations without disrupting franchise autonomy.
Building Confidence Through Real-World Testing
Rather than launching system-wide immediately, Lee’s adopted a phased approach. The brand deployed Hi Auto in a combination of company-owned and franchise locations, allowing the system to operate under live drive-thru conditions.
These early deployments generated the operational data needed to evaluate whether the technology could perform consistently at scale. Importantly, the results were not confined to controlled environments; they reflected day-to-day restaurant activity across multiple stores.
Alongside this rollout, Lee’s also completed a critical infrastructure initiative: unifying its POS system and menu database. This step created the consistency required for AI ordering to function reliably across a franchise network with historically variable systems.
A Franchise System Built Around Optional Adoption
A defining feature of Lee’s strategy is its refusal to enforce mandatory adoption. Instead, the AI Order Taker is being offered as an available tool, giving franchisees discretion over whether to integrate it into their operations.
This model reflects a deliberate effort to preserve the independence of operators while still investing in system-wide capabilities that can improve performance.
Ryan Weaver, CEO of Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, emphasized this philosophy: “Our operators are the backbone of Lee’s, and it’s our job to give them every advantage we can.”
Weaver noted that early results included improved labor efficiency, shorter drive-thru lines, higher employee morale, and more accurate order fulfillment.
Measurable Gains Drive Franchisee Interest
For franchisees, the most compelling aspect of the rollout is the performance data coming from existing locations. Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker has demonstrated more than 95% order completion rates and 97% accuracy across participating restaurants.
These metrics translate into tangible operational improvements. Stores report saving three to eight labor hours per day, a meaningful reduction in staffing strain, particularly in high-volume periods.
Employee turnover has also declined by roughly 17%, suggesting that removing repetitive order-taking tasks contributes to a more sustainable work environment. At the same time, average ticket size has increased by approximately 1.5%, indicating that AI-assisted ordering may support more consistent upselling.
Redefining Labor Allocation In The Drive-Thru
One of the most significant impacts of AI ordering is not elimination of labor but redistribution. By automating order-taking, employees are able to focus on food preparation, order assembly, and guest interaction.
This shift reduces cognitive load during peak hours, when staff are often required to switch rapidly between tasks. It also allows restaurants to maintain service consistency without increasing headcount.
Over time, this reallocation of labor may prove as important as the efficiency gains themselves, particularly in a sector facing persistent hiring challenges.
Hi Auto’s Scale Reinforces System Readiness
Hi Auto brings significant operational scale to the partnership. The company supports nearly 1,000 drive-thru locations globally and processes more than 100 million orders annually. It also works with approximately 200 franchisees across three continents, giving it broad exposure to different operational models.
This level of scale suggests the platform has already been tested across varied real-world conditions, strengthening its suitability for broader deployment within systems like Lee’s.
Hi Auto CEO Roy Baharav described the partnership as aligned with a core principle of effective franchise technology: empowering operators rather than constraining them.
A Gradual Shift Toward AI-Native Drive-Thrus
Lee’s rollout does not represent a sudden transformation of the drive-thru experience. Instead, it reflects a gradual shift toward integrating AI into existing workflows in a way that preserves operational stability.
By combining infrastructure standardization with optional technology adoption, the brand is effectively creating an environment where innovation can scale without forcing uniform behavior across franchisees.
As more operators evaluate the system, the rollout may serve as a practical blueprint for how mid-sized QSR brands can adopt AI in a way that balances modernization with franchise independence.
