Is There AI In My Burger And Fries?

Companies that specialize in AI are the darlings of Wall Street as investors bet the future will be immersed in the technology.

AI is now proving a competitive advantage in many industries, not the least of which is quick service restaurants (QSRs), or fast-food restaurant operators. Traditional due diligence within the QSR sector is focused on real estate, core operations, gross margins, labor turnover and other typical guideposts of value within a company. However, as investors in the industry evaluate restaurant companies, they need to change how they conduct their due diligence as AI alters the playing field.

Two major focuses for the use of AI in QSRs is on stocking the right inventory to reduce waste and predicting traffic to improve staffing models. These areas — inventory and people — are the two largest items on the profit and loss (P&L) statement, outside of rent, making AI a logical solution to apply across major chains with hundreds or thousands of