The quick-service restaurant industry is at a crossroads: customers demand faster, more accurate service, while operational pressures continue to mount. For brands seeking to stay ahead, AI is proving to be a competitive differentiator. Popeyes UK recently demonstrated this potential by winning the Best Use of AI award at the 2026 Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards for its drive-thru AI Order Taker, powered by Hi Auto. The platform enables the chain to process orders at scale without compromising speed or accuracy, illustrating a new standard for operational excellence.
The awards also recognized David Carey, Chief Technology Officer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen UK, as CTO of the Year, reflecting the leadership driving digital innovation across the brand. Among six finalists, including Burger King UK and Mitchells and Butlers, Popeyes UK stood out for deploying AI in a fully customer-facing role, showing that technology can directly enhance the guest experience while supporting frontline staff.
AI That Works for People, Not Just Systems
Drive-thru staff face the dual challenge of keeping service moving while ensuring each order is correct. Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker alleviates this pressure by autonomously handling orders, allowing team members to focus on food preparation and customer engagement.
“Our drive-thru teams used to juggle order-taking with food prep during rushes. Now they can focus on what they do best: delivering great food with great service,” Carey said. “This award validates what we’ve experienced firsthand: AI that genuinely makes both our team’s lives easier and our guests’ experience better.”
He added, “This recognition belongs to our amazing Digital & Tech team who’ve embraced innovation and helped deliver industry-leading initiatives that are transforming how we serve our customers.”
The system’s performance is significant: Hi Auto supports nearly 1,000 locations worldwide and processes over 100 million orders annually with 93%+ completion and 96% accuracy. These metrics demonstrate that AI can maintain reliability at scale while directly improving operational outcomes.
Setting a Benchmark for the QSR Sector
The Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards, now in their seventh year, honor technology initiatives with measurable operational impact. While many submissions focused on internal automation or recruitment tools, Popeyes UK’s AI Order Taker distinguishes itself by interacting with customers in real time, proving that frontline AI can be both practical and transformative.
Daniel Goldfeld, VP of Customer Success and Delivery at Hi Auto, praised the achievement: “We are very happy to see our partners at Popeyes UK being recognized for their forward-looking, innovative approach and operational excellence. They saw that AI could make their teams’ lives easier and their guests’ experience better, and they made it happen. We’re honored to support their success.”
Redefining Efficiency in Quick-Service Restaurants
Popeyes UK’s success illustrates a broader lesson for the QSR industry: AI can enhance human performance rather than replace it. By automating routine tasks while supporting staff and improving guest experience, the chain demonstrates a model for sustainable operational efficiency. As more restaurants adopt AI to handle high-volume, customer-facing operations, Popeyes UK offers a clear blueprint for combining innovation, practicality, and customer-centric service in the drive-thru of the future.
