By: Jake Smiths

Quick-service restaurants are reaching a point where incremental operational improvements are no longer enough. Labor volatility, rising guest expectations, and increasing order complexity are pushing brands to rethink how core workflows like the drive-thru actually function. Against this backdrop, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken is broadening access to Hi Auto‘s AI Order Taker across its franchise system after proving its value in early deployments.

Rather than positioning this as a disruptive overhaul, Lee’s is treating it as a scalable operational tool that franchisees can choose to adopt based on their individual business needs.

Early Store Performance Builds the Foundation For Expansion

The rollout did not begin as a system-wide initiative. Instead, Lee’s first introduced Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker in 30 locations, including a mix of company-owned and franchise restaurants. These sites served as real-world test environments where the technology was evaluated under everyday drive-thru conditions.

The results from these locations ultimately shaped the decision to expand availability across the broader system. However, Lee’s leadership emphasized that the expansion was not based on isolated pilot optimism, but consistent performance across multiple operational contexts.

In parallel, the brand undertook a major internal infrastructure effort: unifying its POS system and menu database. This step ensured that all locations shared a consistent operational foundation, an essential prerequisite for deploying AI ordering at scale across a fragmented franchise network.

Franchisee Choice Remains Central To The Rollout Strategy

Unlike many technology implementations in the QSR sector, Lee’s is not mandating adoption. Instead, franchisees are being given optional access to Hi Auto’s system, allowing each operator to determine whether and when it fits into their business model.

This decision reflects a broader philosophy within the organization that prioritizes franchisee autonomy while still investing in system-wide capabilities.

“Our operators are the backbone of Lee’s, and it’s our job to give them every advantage we can,” said Ryan Weaver, CEO of Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken. “After seeing the results Hi Auto delivered in our first 30 stores, including better labor efficiency, shorter lines, a happier team, and guests getting their orders just the way they want them, we wanted to make this tool available to every franchisee who wants it.”

The emphasis is on enabling rather than enforcing, providing access to tested technology without removing operator flexibility.

Operational Metrics Strengthen Franchisee Confidence

For franchise owners evaluating new technology, operational performance is often more persuasive than strategic messaging. In this case, Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker has delivered consistent results across participating Lee’s locations.

The system has achieved over 95% order completion rates and 97% accuracy in real-world drive-thru environments. These figures matter not just for efficiency, but for customer experience consistency, especially during peak service hours.

Beyond order handling, the operational impact extends into labor and revenue metrics. Locations using the system report saving between three and eight labor hours per day, contributing to lower employee turnover, and increasing average ticket size by around 1.5%.

Taken together, these outcomes suggest the technology is influencing both cost structure and top-line performance, rather than improving a single isolated workflow.

Workforce Impact Shifts From Pressure To Focus

One of the more understated effects of AI order automation is how it changes the nature of frontline work. By removing order-taking from employees, restaurants are able to redirect labor toward food preparation and guest engagement.

This shift reduces pressure during peak drive-thru periods, when staff are often required to juggle multiple roles simultaneously. Instead of dividing attention between headset orders and in-store operations, teams can concentrate on execution quality and speed.

The result is not just operational efficiency, but a more stable working environment that contributes to lower turnover rates across participating locations.

Hi Auto Brings Scale And Operational Maturity

Hi Auto’s broader footprint adds credibility to the rollout. The company powers nearly 1,000 drive-thru locations globally and processes more than 100 million orders annually. It is also used by approximately 200 franchisees across multiple regions, giving it exposure to a wide range of operational environments.

This scale matters because it suggests the system is not being tested in isolation but refined across diverse real-world conditions before deeper expansion within brands like Lee’s.

Hi Auto CEO Roy Baharav described the collaboration as aligned with franchise empowerment, emphasizing that strong technology investments are those that enhance operator performance rather than replace human decision-making.

A Controlled Expansion Of AI In The Drive-Thru

What stands out in Lee’s approach is its controlled pace of change. Rather than forcing rapid adoption or introducing sweeping operational disruption, the company is embedding AI into its system as an available capability within a standardized infrastructure.

By first aligning its internal systems and then layering AI on top, Lee’s has created a framework where innovation can scale without destabilizing franchise operations.

As adoption expands, the rollout may serve as an example of how mid-sized QSR brands can integrate AI in a way that preserves operator independence while still modernizing core workflows.