NEW
What it Takes to Hit 100 Million Drive-Thru Orders Per Year, and Why it Matters for QSRs
NEW
What it Takes to Hit 100 Million Drive-Thru Orders Per Year, and Why it Matters for QSRs
LONDON — Popeyes UK has won the Best Use of AI category at the 2026 Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards for its drive-thru AI Order Taker, powered by Hi Auto. The recognition, announced January 21 at Pergola on the Wharf in London, highlights a deployment that handles drive-thru orders across Popeyes UK’s network with consistent completion and accuracy rates that hold at scale.
At the same event, David Carey, Chief Technology Officer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen UK, was named CTO of the Year—recognition of his leadership in driving digital transformation and innovation across the brand.
The award places Popeyes UK at the forefront of European QSR innovation. The restaurant chain was selected from six finalists, including Burger King UK’s internal AI assistant and Mitchells and Butlers’ virtual assistant. While other finalists focused on back-of-house AI tools and hiring technology, Popeyes UK was recognized for a customer-facing system that processes real orders at scale.
Popeyes UK deployed the AI Order Taker to address the core challenge facing high-volume drive-thrus: maintaining speed, accuracy, and consistency during peak hours. The system takes orders without requiring staff intervention, freeing team members to focus on food preparation and guest hospitality.
The AI adapts to the unique challenges of UK drive-thru environments, including varied accents, background noise, and complex menu modifications. The result is faster service, more accurate orders, and reduced pressure on drive-thru teams.
“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,” said David Carey, Chief Technology Officer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen UK, who was named CTO of the Year at the awards. “This award validates what we’ve experienced firsthand: AI that genuinely makes both our team’s lives easier and our guests’ experience better.”
“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,” added Carey.
The Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards, now in its seventh year, drew over 120 entries from leading European hospitality brands and agencies. The Best Use of AI category specifically recognized implementations that deliver measurable operational impact.
Hi Auto’s AI Order Taker, purpose-built for high-volume drive-thru operations, powers ~1,000 locations across the U.S., U.K., New Zealand, and Australia. The platform processes over 100 million orders annually.
“We are very happy to see our partners at Popeyes UK being recognized for their forward-looking, innovative approach and operational excellence,” said Daniel Goldfeld, VP of Customer Success and Delivery at Hi Auto. “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.”
Featured in:
Popeyes U.K.’s Drive-Thru AI Honored at 2026 Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards
Award-Winning AI: Popeyes UK and Hi Auto Set a New Standard for Drive-Thru Ordering
