Chipotle Is Hiring 20,000 New Employees Thanks to AI

Chipotle is fully embracing the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, announcing that it is using the controversial technology to go on a hiring spree.

Nation’s Restaurant News reports that AI will help the fast-food chain’s yearly recruiting binge ahead of “Burrito Season,” which runs from March to May and is the chain’s busiest time of year.

In October, the company launched an artificial intelligence-powered platform called “Ava Cado” in collaboration with Paradox to shorten hiring time. The system will be used to hire 20,000 more personnel to make sure that its 3,700-plus restaurants are staffed throughout the chain’s busiest season.

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Since its integration, Ava Cado has reduced the time it takes for a candidate to complete their application and begin work from 12 days to four. The system has roughly doubled Chipotle’s application volume and raised the candidate application completion rate to well over 85%, up from about 50% previously.

Ava Cado communicates with candidates, answers their questions, gathers basic information, schedules interviews, and provides offers in real-time, cutting the time it takes to hire an employee for an in-restaurant role by up to 75%. The multilingual system allows candidates to converse in English, Spanish, French, and German.

“As we continue to move toward our long-term goal of operating 7,000 restaurants in North America, we are empowering our teams to recruit and hire talent that are excited by our vision to ‘Cultivate a Better World’ and want to grow with us,” Ilene Eskenazi, chief human resources officer, said in a statement last October. “Paradox operates as if we’ve hired additional administrative support for all our restaurants, freeing up more time for managers to support team members and provide an exceptional guest experience. We’re excited about the early improvements we’re seeing.”

Chipotle Employees Make Headlines for Wild Reasons

These new workers will be joining a legion of employees who sometimes make headlines for the wildest reasons, as a DC employee did last December when he was attacked by a customer who then jumped behind the counter and tried to make her own food.

In footage released on X on Dec. 22, the anonymous woman pushed employees aside behind the counter at the fast-casual eatery in Brentwood while holding an empty dish.

The enraged customer then stuffed the bowl with food. When Chipotle employee Roberto Hernandez attempted to grab the bowl of food from her, the altercation escalated. Food flew around the workstation as Hernandez tried to grab the bowl, but she held on and slapped him in the face with it in response.