The drive-thru has become one of the most operationally sensitive parts of the quick-service restaurant experience, where speed, accuracy, and labor availability collide in real time. Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken is now expanding access to Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker across its franchise system, building on successful performance across 30 locations and positioning the technology as an optional tool for operators.
Rather than pushing a uniform mandate, the brand is leaning into a franchisee-first model, offering access to AI ordering while allowing each operator to decide how and when to adopt it.
System Standardization Enabled Scalable AI Deployment
Before expanding AI ordering, Lee’s completed a critical infrastructure step: unifying its POS system and menu database across its restaurant network. This move created a standardized foundation for order processing, ensuring that menu structures and operational logic were consistent across locations.
That consistency is essential for AI deployment. Without it, differences in menu setup and system configuration can create performance gaps across stores, making scalable automation difficult to sustain.
With this groundwork in place, Lee’s tested Hi Auto in 30 live locations, including both company-owned and franchise restaurants, to evaluate real-world performance under daily operational conditions.
Franchisees Retain Full Adoption Control
The rollout strategy centers on optionality. Franchisees are not required to implement Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker. Instead, they are given access to the technology and the ability to evaluate its fit based on their own operational realities.
This approach reflects a broader philosophy within Lee’s: technology should be an advantage offered to operators, not a mandate imposed on them.
“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 proving value first, then enabling adoption, not enforcing it.
Strong Performance Metrics Support Expansion Decision
Across participating locations, Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker has demonstrated more than 95% order completion rates and 97% accuracy in live drive-thru environments. These results are particularly meaningful in high-volume settings where even small errors can create delays and operational bottlenecks.
The system’s impact extends beyond order processing. Restaurants using Hi Auto report saving between three and eight labor hours per day, reducing employee turnover by 17%, and increasing average ticket size by approximately 1.5%.
These combined outcomes suggest improvements across both cost efficiency and revenue performance, making the technology relevant to multiple operational priorities.
Labor Roles Are Being Restructured, Not Removed
One of the most significant impacts of AI ordering is how it reshapes labor allocation inside the restaurant. Instead of employees dividing attention between headset orders and in-store responsibilities, AI handles the ordering process.
This allows staff to focus more on food preparation, order assembly, and guest interaction, particularly during peak hours when multitasking often leads to stress and inconsistency.
Rather than replacing labor, the system repositions it toward higher-value tasks within the operation.
Hi Auto Brings Scale And Operational Credibility
Hi Auto’s broader footprint strengthens confidence in the rollout. The company powers nearly 1,000 drive-thru locations globally and processes more than 100 million orders annually. It is also deployed across approximately 200 franchisees in multiple regions.
This scale reflects broad exposure to different operational environments, from independent restaurants to large franchise systems, helping validate system performance across varied conditions.
Hi Auto CEO Roy Baharav has emphasized that the platform is designed to empower operators, not replace them, aligning closely with Lee’s franchise-focused approach.
A Controlled Expansion Model For AI Adoption
Lee’s approach reflects controlled evolution rather than rapid disruption. By combining infrastructure standardization with optional deployment, the brand is enabling AI adoption without forcing uniform operational change across its franchise network.
This allows franchisees to adopt technology at their own pace while still benefiting from system-wide investment in modernization.
As adoption expands, Lee’s strategy may serve as a model for how mid-sized QSR brands can introduce AI into core operations while preserving operational flexibility and franchise independence.
