Chipotle rolls out AI assistant for faster hiring
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Restaurant industry giant Chipotle Mexican Grill is optimizing its hiring process with the launch of its AI-powered recruiting platform “Ava Cado.”
This innovative system, developed in partnership with Paradox, is expected to reduce hiring time by up to 75% across its 3,500+ locations in North America and Europe.
Introducing Ava Cado: Chipotle’s virtual recruiter
The new virtual team member, Ava Cado, will streamline the hiring process by handling multiple tasks simultaneously. This multilingual AI assistant can communicate with candidates in English, Spanish, French, and German while managing everything from initial conversations to interview scheduling and offer letter distribution.
“Paradox operates as if we’ve hired additional administrative support for all our restaurants, freeing up more time for managers to support team members and provide an exceptional guest experience. We’re excited about the early improvements we’re seeing,” Ilene Eskenazi, Chief Human Resources Officer at Chipotle, explained.
This automation of administrative tasks allows general managers to focus more on day-to-day operations and guest hospitality. Chipotle is implementing Ava Cado in a phased rollout that will cover all its restaurants by the end of this month.
Chipotle’s commitment to employee growth
The implementation comes at a strategic time as Chipotle moves toward its ambitious goal of operating 7,000 restaurants in North America. The company’s commitment to growth is matched by its impressive track record in employee development, with 24,000 internal promotions last year, including 90% of restaurant management roles.
The platform’s rollout coincides with Chipotle’s fall hiring period, traditionally the second-largest recruitment drive of the year.
Incorporating AI into HR
Dan Kaplan, a senior client partner at Korn Ferry’s CHRO practice, believes that AI-enabled recruiting is particularly well suited for distributed blue-collar recruiting.
“Restaurants, retail, warehouses, [and] distribution businesses are all ripe for AI enablement. We have come a long way, and yet we aren’t even in the first inning,” Kaplan told Fortune.
Meanwhile, Mahe Bayireddi, CEO and co-founder of HR technology company Phenom, still values human involvement in the recruitment process.
“Sending an offer letter too quickly, with little to no human interaction, may lead candidates to believe the offer is a scam or that the company isn’t serious,” Bayireddi explained.
