Chick-fil-A Steers Clear of AI Drive-Thru Ordering as Rivals Turn to Automation

Chick-fil-A is bucking a broader fast-food trend, as CEO Andrew Cathy said the chain does not intend to use artificial intelligence to take drive-thru orders.

Although the company is examining possible AI uses behind the scenes, Cathy told CNBC that it wants to preserve human interaction in its drive-thru lanes even as competitors increasingly experiment with automated ordering systems.

“From our experience, we really want that hospitality to be human to human,” Cathy said. “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 requests for additional comment.

Blake Altman and his friends were the first customers to come through the drive-thru after the official opening of Chick-fil-A on Thursday in Keizer, Oregon. (Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal/USA Today Network via Reuters)

The strategy puts Chick-fil-A at odds with several of its largest fast-food competitors, which are increasingly using AI to handle customer orders.

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

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

Chick-fil-A, however, is not rejecting technology outright. The chain has focused on using tools to improve efficiency while keeping employee interactions with customers central to the experience.

Joshua Bezek takes a customer order in the drive-thru line at Chick-fil-A in Jackson Township, Ohio, Sept. 5, 2024. (Julie Vennitti Botos/Canton Repository/USA Today Network via Reuters)

When Chick-fil-A unveiled plans for new digitally focused restaurant designs in 2023, the company 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 approach is visible at the elevated drive-thru restaurant in McDonough, Georgia, which opened in 2024.

The location features four drive-thru lanes beneath 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.

Huge crowds of support for Chick-fil-A at Backlick Center in Springfield, Virginia, Aug. 1, 2012. (Tracy A. Woodward/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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

Chick-fil-A’s decision also reflects the chain’s scale. The privately held company generated approximately $23.9 billion in U.S. systemwide sales in 2025, according to franchise disclosure figures.

For Cathy, taking drive-thru orders remains one area where technology will not replace employees.

“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.”

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