Chick-fil-A rules out AI drive-thru ordering as fast-food rivals embrace technology

Chick-fil-A is bucking a growing fast-food industry trend, with CEO Andrew Cathy saying the chicken chain does not plan to use artificial intelligence to take customers’ drive-thru orders.

While Chick-fil-A is exploring potential uses for AI behind the scenes, Cathy told CNBC that the company wants to preserve human interaction in its drive-thru lanes even as competitors increasingly experiment with automated ordering technology.

“From our experience, we really want that hospitality to be human to human,” Cathy told the outlet. “We’re not going to substitute that interaction with technology, because we feel like that hospitality is so important to create that warm environment for consumers.”

Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for additional comment.

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The strategy puts Chick-fil-A at odds with some of its biggest fast-food rivals, which are increasingly turning to AI to take customer orders.

McDonald’s said at its investor day last month that it plans to test “Archy,” its voice AI technology, to take orders in English and Spanish.

Wendy’s, meanwhile, has been deploying its FreshAi drive-thru technology, developed with Google Cloud. The company has said the system is designed to improve ordering speed, accuracy and consistency.

But Chick-fil-A isn’t shying away from technology altogether. Instead, the company has sought to use it to increase efficiency while preserving employee interactions with customers.

When it unveiled plans for new digitally focused restaurant designs in 2023, Chick-fil-A said it wanted to use technology to “elevate the human touchpoints” in its restaurants while keeping human interaction at the core of the customer experience.

That strategy can be seen at Chick-fil-A’s elevated drive-thru restaurant in McDonough, Georgia, which opened in 2024.

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The location features four drive-thru lanes underneath an elevated kitchen and uses a conveyor system that Chick-fil-A says can deliver a meal to an employee every six seconds. The design can accommodate two to three times as many vehicles as a traditional Chick-fil-A drive-thru, according to the company. Customers can order ahead digitally or place their order with a Chick-fil-A employee.

The distinction comes as restaurant chains increasingly turn to AI and automation in an effort to improve efficiency, ordering accuracy and the customer experience.

Chick-fil-A has considerable scale behind its decision. The privately held chain generated approximately $23.9 billion in U.S. systemwide sales in 2025, according to franchise disclosure figures.

For Cathy, however, taking customers’ drive-thru orders remains one area where technology won’t replace employees.

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“We think about all these new things into the future, about how will people want to receive food in the future?” Cathy told CNBC. “It’s a fun time in the industry, to think about all the possibilities of what we can do to make a better experience for our guests.”