California, US-based fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle has announced a partnership with Paradox to launch a hiring system designed to streamline the recruitment process for its restaurant teams.
The new platform, powered by Conversational AI, will reduce the time it takes to hire new staff. Up to a 75% reduction is expected for in-restaurant positions.
The implementation of Paradox's technology is underway in a phased rollout across Chipotle's network of more than 3,500 restaurants, with completion anticipated by mid-November 2024.
The system is tailored to enhance the hiring process by reducing time to hire, lowering job advertising costs, filling challenging roles more effectively and elevating the candidate experience.
Central to the new hiring experience is Ava Cado, a new conversational hiring system. Ava engages with applicants, answers their queries about working at Chipotle, gathers essential information, arranges interviews and extends job offers.
Its capabilities include multilingual support, offering services in Spanish, English, French and German.
Chipotle reported 24,000 internal promotions in 2023, with 90% of restaurant management and 87% of field leader roles filled internally.
Chipotle is exploring a technological advancement in its operations with the trial of Autocado, a robotic system developed in collaboration with Vebu, which automates avocado processing for guacamole. Alongside Autocado, it is testing cobotic systems such as the augmented makeline in select locations, marking the first time such technologies are being utilised in its restaurants.
Chipotle chief human resources officer Ilene Eskenazi said: “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 [...] excited by our vision to cultivate a better world and want[ing] to grow with us.
“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.”
