Chipotle is leaning into AI to solve one of the toughest problems in the restaurant industry: hiring fast.
As the company prepares for its busiest time of year, it's using a conversational AI assistant—nicknamed “Ava Cado”—to handle early-stage recruiting. This digital hiring helper talks with applicants, screens for basic qualifications, schedules interviews, and even sends out job offers, all without needing a human to step in.
The impact has been massive. Hiring that used to take nearly two weeks is now happening in as little as four days. Application drop-off rates have also fallen dramatically, with far more candidates completing the process from start to finish.
Chipotle plans to bring on around 20,000 seasonal employees, and the AI system is already helping managers keep up with demand by streamlining repetitive admin work. While the technology handles logistics, people are still making the final hiring decisions—so the human element remains intact.
There have been a few bumps in the rollout, such as interview slots being booked at locations that weren’t actively hiring, but overall, the shift to AI has been a game-changer. It’s not about replacing people—it’s about speeding up the process, attracting more applicants, and giving store managers more time to focus on team development and customer experience.
