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- Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright says the fast-casual chain is increasing at an “exponential fee,” with plans to open greater than 300 new places this yr. Key to creating the expansion occur is new AI know-how, like its hiring platform, “Ava Cado,” Boatwright tells Fortune.
If you happen to’re a fan of bowls, tacos, and burritos, there’s excellent news: there is likely to be a Chipotle opening in your neighborhood quickly.
The corporate presently operates over 3,700 eating places, however it has formidable targets to broaden to 7,000 places within the U.S. and Canada alone. On stage at Fortune’s COO summit in the present day, Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright revealed that the corporate is increasing almost by the day.
“We are going to open a brand new Chipotle restaurant this yr virtually each 24 hours,” Boatwright mentioned to Fortune’s Kristin Stoller. “And if you consider the expansion that’s forward of us and the necessity for extremely succesful, function pushed, worth oriented people is extra essential in the present day than it most likely ever has been for our model.”
Chipotle presently employs over 130,000 workers—and with expansion also planned for Mexico, Boatwright admitted that utilizing AI know-how has made the hiring course of a lot faster. Final yr, Chipotle launched “Ava Cado,” the corporate’s AI hiring platform, and since then, Boatwright mentioned hiring occasions have been decreased by 75%.
And whereas the usage of AI within the hiring course of could also be an unwelcome sign for human resource professionals, Boatwright mentioned AI has a spot in enterprise throughout all verticals and industries.
“This not solely helps us preserve our restaurant staffed, however ensures we now have one of the best expertise that’s accessible within the trade,” he mentioned.
AI would possibly provide you with a reduction in your subsequent Chipotle bowl
Whereas Chipotle is becoming a member of the lengthy checklist of corporations embracing AI throughout its enterprise, Boatwright mentioned you shouldn’t anticipate to have a robotic folding your burrito anytime quickly (although, it could be making your guacamole).
“We don’t look to interchange the human expertise, we glance to take away waste and broaden or improve the crew member expertise,” he added.
The corporate can be utilizing the know-how inside its rewards system. If a buyer hasn’t made a purchase order within the final two weeks, Boatwright mentioned they could be provided a deal that can escalate over time to get the client to return into the shop. AI know-how helps tailor the offers to the person primarily based on their personalization and general model utilization.
And whereas Boatwright solely simply became CEO last year—after serving as COO for over seven years—he admitted his makes an attempt to scale the corporate with new know-how and initiatives will solely work if clients benefit from the product.
“Clients come to Chipotle for the meals,” he mentioned.
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com