Hi Auto Surpasses 100 Million Drive-Thru Orders, Redefining Voice AI in Quick-Service Restaurants

The drive-thru has long been a high-pressure proving ground for innovation. Speed, accuracy, and consistency are paramount, and even small mistakes ripple through service lines, guest satisfaction, and revenue. In this environment, Hi Auto, a voice AI order-taking system built specifically for drive-thrus, has quietly reached a major milestone: completing over 100 million orders annually. The achievement signals that artificial intelligence is no longer a pilot experiment; it's becoming a central operational tool for QSRs worldwide.

Built for the Chaos of the Drive-Thru

Hi Auto's system is purpose-built to thrive where traditional AI struggles. Engines roar, conversations overlap, and orders fly in rapid succession. These conditions have historically made voice recognition unreliable. Yet the company reports 93% order completion and 96% accuracy across nearly 1,000 stores in the U.S., U.K., New Zealand, and Australia.

"It's exciting to ramp up the number of restaurants using our AI Order Taker, but that metric represents true success when these transactions provide real value for our QSR customers and their guests," says Roy Baharav, Co-Founder and CEO of Hi Auto. "What we view as the real achievement here is how Voice AI is improving efficiencies and employee satisfaction while boosting revenue and delivering outstanding guest experiences at almost a thousand drive-thru locations."

With centralized control over scripts, promotions, and voice, operators can make real-time adjustments across multiple locations without losing consistency, a critical advantage for chains balancing local and regional menus. In addition, labor optimization tools help reduce frontline stress and save three to eight hours of labor per store per day.

Transforming Employee Experience

For many operators, the AI's impact is immediate and tangible. At Bojangles, the system (customized as "BoLinda") has reduced stress and improved operational flow. "You can set [Bojangles' custom-branded Voice AI] BoLinda to suggest to sell by day part, by promotion, etc.," says CEO Jose Armario. "She's very consistent and very reliable."

Armario continues, "You could see immediately the day we put Bolinda in our restaurants: we would see those stress levels come down and we would see the guest experience get better." Franchise owner Neil Pathak echoes this sentiment: "From day one, the biggest thing I noticed with having Bolinda was that the crew members felt a sense of relief. The person that used to do cash, take orders, make drinks... they're just so relaxed now compared to before."

At Checkers & Rally's, employees have similarly welcomed the AI. "Before Hi Auto, we used to have stress trying to run to the front and answer the speaker for the guests and ring up orders and stuff," explains general manager Linda Ronda. "But now we can do other things and be able to still pay 100% attention to the guests at the window." Jason Amell, an executive overseeing Michigan's largest Checkers & Rally's franchisee group, adds, "You always get a nice friendly voice with Hi Auto, versus if you have a [human] order taker, they could be grumpy or in a bad mood, and then that gets conveyed to your guests. Hi Auto eliminates that."

Upselling That Works Every Time

Revenue gains are another area where Hi Auto has made a difference. Ryan Weaver, CEO of Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, notes, "You might get an upsell 20% of the time with humans in the drive-thru. With Hi Auto, our voice AI order-taking partner, we're getting it 100% of the time."

Rally's franchise owner Mike Rosania agrees: "One of my favorite things about Hi Auto is it actually upsells better than my employees can. And I really thought my employees were top-notch upsellers. Hi Auto just knocks it out the park every day, every shift, day in and day out." General manager Alisha Burton adds, "With Hi Auto, they're 100% consistent. You will never miss a beat on the upselling, being the friendliest, and giving the customer the best service over the speaker."

A Sign That AI Is Becoming Infrastructure

Founded in 2019, Hi Auto has positioned its AI Order Taker as more than a novelty. By combining operational reliability, labor savings, upselling precision, and guest experience improvements, the platform is increasingly viewed as essential infrastructure for high-volume drive-thrus. Surpassing 100 million orders annually provides concrete evidence that voice AI can handle both scale and complexity, reshaping the way quick-service restaurants operate.