Sector benchmark · Q3 2026
AI in Food & Beverage franchising
Ice-cream, bubble-tea and specialty F&B franchises are adopting AI in ordering, loyalty, and local marketing.
Figures are published by third parties, compiled as-is, and may change. We do not independently verify the underlying data — check the source before acting on it. For reference only; not legal, tax, or investment advice.
Sources for units and growth sit on each brand’s profile. AI Adoption Score: FranchisePulse’s own editorial metric (methodology). Entries dated up to 2026-09-16.
50/100
Sector AI average
-13
vs all-sector avg
4
Tracked systems
53
Leader: Gong cha
Gong cha (53) and Baskin-Robbins (47) are 6 points apart. The largest system by units, Baskin-Robbins, ranks #4 on AI; the fastest-growing, Gong cha, ranks #1. Against the Index, Food & Beverage is strongest on marketing AI (-5) and weakest on operations AI (-15).
Food & Beverage systems, ranked by AI adoption
| Brand | HQ Region | Units | AI Score | Strongest pillar | Growth | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gong cha | APAC | 2,200+ | 53/100 | Marketing AI 62 | +8.4% | Partly sourced |
| Chatime | APAC | 1,200+ (2021) | 51/100 | Marketing AI 60 | +7.2% | Partly sourced |
| Dairy Queen | North America | 7,800+ | 50/100 | Marketing AI 60 | +1.5% | Partly sourced |
| Baskin-Robbins | North America | 7,896 | 47/100 | Marketing AI 58 | +1.8% | Sourced |
Where Food & Beverage leads and lags
| Pillar | Sector avg | Index avg | Gap | Highest here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations AI | 47 | 62 | -15 | Gong cha 50 |
| Data infrastructure | 52 | 66 | -14 | Gong cha 56 |
| Marketing AI | 60 | 65 | -5 | Gong cha 62 |
| Training & Support AI | 43 | 56 | -13 | Gong cha 44 |
Other sectors