Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken adopts Hi Auto’s voice cloning feature at drive-thru – QSR Web

Guests at select Ohio Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken restaurants will hear the voice of former NFL player Keith Byars as a partnership with AI platform Hi Auto. Photo: Hi Auto

Dec. 13, 2023

Hi Auto, an AI ordering brand, has launched its AI voice-cloning feature for QSRs. It allows restaurants to fully customize voice options into their drive-thru voice AI ordering tech, according to a press release.

Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, an early adopter of Hi Auto's drive-thru voice AL ordering technology, will launch the new voice cloning feature as a test in select Ohio drive-thru locations. Guests who visit Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken Ohio locations will be greeted with the voice of sports broadcaster and former NFL player Keith Byars. Byars grew up in Ohio and played football at Ohio State. In 2000, he was inducted into the Ohio State Hall of Fame and in 2020 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Byers proceeded to play in the National Football League for 13 seasons, playing for teams including Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Currently, Byars hosts "The Keith Byars Show" which can be heard on ESPN 1410 WING-AM in Dayton, Ohio.

"Lee's has been blessed to partner with Hi Auto since December of 2020, utilizing their AI voice recognition technology to help our employees and restaurants through the pandemic. We look forward to implementing their latest innovation to make our customer's drive-thru experience the most unique experience in the Dayton market," Chuck Doran, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken owner and operator, said in the press release. "We've partnered with Keith Byars since his radio program launched 2018. The integrity, quality and excellence Keith brought to the football field and continues to bring to his broadcasts is what we strive to provide every customer that visits Lee's. This is just one more step in that quest."

"Three years ago, Lee's embarked on a pioneering journey with Hi Auto, leveraging their cutting-edge artificial intelligence for our drive-thru orders, marking a milestone in operational efficiency and customer service," Ryan Weaver, CEO of Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, said in the press release. "This collaboration not only enhanced our labor efficiency by saving approximately five to six hours daily, but also significantly improved order consistency and upselling conversions."

Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken operates more than 130 restaurants in 12 U.S. states and in Canada.