By Lea Mira, RTN staff writer - 4.2.2025
Hi Auto, an Israel-based startup pioneering AI-powered voice ordering for drive-thru restaurants, has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Delek Motors, along with participation from the Zisapel Family, Vasuki Tech Fund, Allied Group, Goldbell Investments, the Meir Barel Group, and a publicly traded restaurant company whose identity has not yet been disclosed. The round brings Hi Auto’s total funding to $23 million, with an additional $4 million credit line to further support expansion. The funding comes at a pivotal moment for the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, where labor costs are surging, margins are tightening, and customer expectations continue to climb.
Hi Auto’s flagship offering is an AI-powered drive-thru voice assistant built specifically for fast-food environments. The system reportedly delivers over 96% order accuracy and more than 90% order completion without human intervention, outperforming many human-run drive-thrus in both speed and consistency. In a high-stakes operating environment, where a poorly heard order or missed upsell opportunity can compound into long wait times and lost revenue, Hi Auto’s software-as-a-service platform is designed to remove the bottlenecks and provide a consistent, scalable solution.
The timing of Hi Auto’s growth is closely tied to the mounting labor challenges in the QSR space. In California, the fast-food minimum wage is now $20 an hour, intensifying the search for automation solutions that can offset rising personnel costs. Restaurants are finding that fully staffing the drive-thru window, let alone retaining reliable workers, is increasingly difficult. That’s where Hi Auto’s voice AI steps in. By fully automating the ordering process—from greeting the customer to confirming the order and suggesting add-ons—the company frees up on-site staff to focus on food preparation, quality control, and customer interaction.
CEO and co-founder Roy Baharav describes the company’s voice AI as “an always-on drive-thru specialist”—one that doesn’t get sick, forget the menu, or fumble an upsell. It’s engineered for chaotic environments, leveraging advanced noise-cancellation technology and a speech recognition model specifically trained for the drive-thru context. That includes handling overlapping voices, static from old intercoms, loud car engines, and even unpredictable weather conditions like rain or wind. This optimization is critical, given that ambient noise remains a leading challenge for AI-driven order-taking systems.
Hi Auto’s voice assistant is already in use at chains such as Bojangles, Checkers & Rally’s, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, Burger King New Zealand, and Popeyes in the UK. It is also in the pilot phase with several top-tier QSR brands in the U.S. and internationally. The company’s ease of integration with existing POS and audio systems is helping drive adoption, as operators look to test and deploy automation with minimal disruption.
Notably, the technology goes beyond just replicating a human order-taker. One of Hi Auto’s standout features is dynamic upselling. The AI is trained to identify contextual selling opportunities in real time, using variables like time of day, local weather, current inventory, and even order history to suggest relevant menu upgrades. For instance, on a hot afternoon, the system might recommend a cold beverage; during a breakfast rush, it might promote a premium sandwich combo. The goal is to drive revenue—not just reduce costs. Baharav notes that this feature has directly contributed to increases in average check size for its clients.
Hi Auto’s founding team includes Baharav, who previously led product initiatives at Google—including the launch of Smart Shopping Campaigns—along with CTO Eyal Shapira, an experienced software engineer and AI expert. The company was co-founded by the late Zohar Zisapel, a legendary figure in Israel’s tech scene known for backing numerous successful startups. Hi Auto now employs over 100 people worldwide.
While Hi Auto is gaining momentum, it’s not alone in the space. The competitive landscape for drive-thru AI has quickly intensified in 2024. Incept AI, another voice automation startup, raised $3 million in February, and Presto Automation secured $18 million following a company sale earlier this year. Larger players are also making moves: Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum Brands, announced a partnership with Nvidia to roll out AI to 500 stores, and Wendy’s is actively expanding its own voice AI deployments. McDonald’s, which previously partnered with IBM on drive-thru AI, has indicated continued interest in the space despite recent setbacks.
The competition underscores just how important the drive-thru has become to QSR operations. As the dominant sales channel for many fast-food chains, it’s now seen as ground zero for innovation. With increased investment flowing into voice AI, companies like Hi Auto are under pressure to not only perform technically but to prove they can scale efficiently across diverse operating environments and menu complexities.
Despite the emerging competition, Hi Auto appears to be carving out a strong position. Its ability to handle real-world audio conditions, seamlessly integrate with existing systems, and drive measurable ROI through upselling makes it attractive to operators navigating today’s economic pressures. With fresh capital in hand and a growing roster of customers, the company is well-positioned to solidify its leadership role as voice AI becomes a critical component of the modern QSR tech stack.
As the industry moves from experimental pilots to full-scale rollouts, Hi Auto’s challenge—and opportunity—will be to stay ahead of the curve. That means continuous refinement of its AI models, deeper integrations with POS and kitchen display systems, and perhaps most importantly, maintaining trust with franchisees and brand partners eager to modernize without compromising the guest experience. The battle for the drive-thru may be just getting started, but Hi Auto has clearly found the fast lane.
