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Dave’s Hot Chicken is evolving its technology as part of a multi-year initiative called Dave’s of the Future, designed to keep the chain on the cutting edge of restaurant technology. These tech evolutions have helped power Dave’s meteoric rise, and its partial acquisition by Roark Capital last year, said Leon Davoyan, chief technology officer at Dave’s Hot Chicken.
But not every innovation is a slam dunk. Even if a piece of tech has reached the point where it’s scalable, economical and reliable in restaurants, it still may not be the right choice. Dave’s, like many chains, tested and then pulled back from drive-thru voice AI.
“It was extremely successful from our order completion standpoint,” Davoyan said. “[But] our guests didn't enjoy talking to a robot at the drive-thru, and so we pulled it.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken is focused on ensuring its deployment of new technology meets consumer desires, and that it only deploys new technology “when it makes sense for the guests, Davoyan said. “We just don't do it for the PR value, we don't do it just to get accolades.”
