• by Tanya Gazdik , October 24, 2024

Never mind people skills; Chipotle job candidates are now interfacing with artificial intelligence.

The fast-casual chain is introducing an artificial intelligence hiring platform created by Paradox that the company says will make the onboarding process simpler, faster and more automated for its more than 3,500 restaurants.

“The system, called Ava Cado, comes as Chipotle ramps up its fall hiring efforts – its second largest hiring period of the year behind ‘Burrito Season,’ which is from March to May,” according to Nation’s Restaurant News. “According to the company, Ava Cado chats with candidates, answers their questions, collects basic information, schedules interviews, and sends offers in real time, reducing the time it takes to hire an employee for an in-restaurant position by as much as 75%. The system is multilingual with the ability to converse with candidates in English, Spanish, French, and German.”

The new system arrives as Chipotle strives to double its footprint in the coming years.

“By collecting basic information about candidates, Ava will free up restaurant managers to focus on other tasks, according to the company,” per CBS News.

The technology is currently being introduced at restaurants in a phased approach that's expected to be complete by the end of October. 

“The recruiting system aims to decrease the time to hire, reduce job advertising costs, increase hiring for hard-to-fill roles, and improve candidate experience,” according to QSR Magazine. “This isn’t the brand’s first foray into automation. In the back of house, the fast casual has worked on an automated digital makeline and the avocado-prepping 'Autocado.' Both are officially being tested in live restaurants. The technologies were invested in by Chipotle through its $100 million Cultivate Next venture fund, which arrived in 2022.”