Chick-fil-A Says No to AI Drive-Thru Ordering as Rivals Lean In
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.
Cathy told CNBC the company wants hospitality to stay human to human. "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," he said.
The chain is exploring AI uses behind the scenes, but it will keep human interaction at the core of the customer experience. Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for additional comment.
Rivals are moving the other way
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 is deploying FreshAi drive-thru tech developed with Google Cloud, designed to improve ordering speed, accuracy, and consistency.
When Chick-fil-A unveiled digitally focused restaurant designs in 2023, it said it wanted technology to "elevate the human touchpoints." Its elevated drive-thru restaurant in McDonough, Georgia, opened in 2024 with four lanes under an elevated kitchen, where a conveyor system delivers a meal to an employee every six seconds and handles two to three times the vehicles of a traditional drive-thru.
The privately held chain generated approximately $23.9 billion in U.S. systemwide sales in 2025, per franchise disclosure figures.
Do you want to see how to make more plays? Do you want to find gains yourself?
Unusual Whales helps you find market opportunities through our market tide, historical options flow, GEX, and much, much more.
Create a free account here to start conquering the market with Unusual Whales
Options market and stocks to watch
This is a restaurant-tech capex story. AI drive-thru rollouts mean spending on voice AI vendors and potential labor-cost savings down the line. Watch these names:
MCD: McDonald's is the biggest AI drive-thru bet with its Archy voice tech test. Any expansion headlines move the stock.
WEN: Wendy's FreshAi rollout with Google Cloud is the live case study for whether AI ordering lifts throughput.
GOOGL: Google Cloud's FreshAi partnership with Wendy's is a proof point for its enterprise voice AI business.
Watch for unusual flow around restaurant-tech partnership announcements. For more consumer coverage, see other market news here.
Want more market intelligence? Create your free Unusual Whales account for options flow, market tide, GEX, and the full toolkit.