Did AI Enable Corporate Cuts at Starbucks and Portillo's?

Restaurant brands are using AI to trim corporate headcount rather than hourly staff. Starbucks has cut over 2,000 corporate workers since early 2025, and Portillo's reduced 18% of its corporate team to fund store growth. Hospitality Technology's 2026 AI Impact Study shows 62% of restaurant tech leaders use AI to automate back-office admin, and 29% say AI directly enables corporate headcount cuts, versus 18% reducing hourly store labor. AI is impacting corporate roles more, while store-level experience remains a focus.