Dive Brief:
- Chipotle will introduce a new platform by Paradox that will make the hiring process easier and more automated across its 3,500 restaurants in North America and Europe, the company said in a Tuesday press release.
- The Paradox platform is rolling out to Chipotle’s restaurants, with completion expected this month. The technology is expected to reduce the time it takes to hire an employee for in-restaurant positions by as much as 75%, per the press release.
- Chipotle will use the technology to support its fall hiring season, which is its second highest hiring period during the year, in addition to helping with hiring as it works toward its goal of having 7,000 restaurants in North America, the company said.
Dive Insight:
Paradox will act like administrative support at Chipotle’s restaurants, allowing managers to focus on supporting staff and customer service, Ilene Eskenazi, chief human resources officer, said in a statement. This will be particularly helpful during its biggest hiring pushes, such as its “burrito season,” which typically occurs from March to May.
During its last hiring push, Chipotle set a hiring goal of 19,000 workers and updated its benefits to offer help paying off student debt and saving for retirement in addition to financial wellness tools and mental health resources. Its last hiring season was particularly focused on Gen Z, which makes up 73% of its current employees. This demographic is also much more inclined to accept the use of AI and digital assistants during the hiring process.
The system uses a virtual team member, dubbed Ava Cado, that acts like an administrative assistant. It can talk with candidates, answer questions about Chipotle, collect basic information, schedule interviews and send job offers. Ava is also multilingual and can speak with candidates in English, Spanish, French and German.
Chipotle expects conversational artificial intelligence will help general managers spend less time on administrative job hiring tasks. Additionally, its recruiting system helps reduce job advertising costs and claims to increase hiring for difficult to fill positions, the company said.
Paradox continues Chipotle’s increased use of automation to improve both the worker and customer experience and improve efficiency. Earlier this year, the chain began in-store testing of its automated makeline developed by Hyphen and its avocado processing machine, Autocado. The Autocado peels, cuts and cores avocados in 26 seconds. Workers then handle the final steps in preparing guacamole.
