Presto Automation Appoints COO Xavier Casanova as CEO

Presto Automation has appointed its chief operating officer, Xavier Casanova, as CEO.

Casanova succeeds interim CEO Krishna Gupta, who will return to his role as chairman of the board of directors, the provider of drive-thru automation technology for the hospitality industry said in a Tuesday (Aug. 1) press release.

“Xavier is the ideal choice to lead Presto forward as we deploy the most immediately actionable AI-enabled Voice and Touch solutions, especially as we continue automating drive-thrus across the country,” Gupta said in the release. “He has a proven track record as a founder and CEO, and has been the central piece to rapidly advancing our core Enterprise AI platform.”

Casanova joined Presto as chief product officer in 2022 and was later promoted to COO, according to the press release. Before joining the company, he was a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur who founded the successful startups Fireclick, Wambo and Liveclicker.

In his new role, Casanova will work closely with Gupta to drive the company’s growth and build upon its existing momentum, Gupta said in the release.

“I am excited to lead such an innovative company at the forefront of driving cutting-edge technology, including implementing our leading Voice AI for the restaurant and hospitality industries,” Casanova said in the release. “I’ve always been focused on the intersection of product and customers, and look forward to delivering best-in-class AI and automation solutions for our customers, existing and new.”

Gupta became Presto’s interim CEO in March when the company’s founder and then-CEO, Rajat Suri, resigned after 15 years at the helm of the firm.

“Mr. Suri is a visionary,” Gupta said at the time in a news release, noting that Suri had founded Presto “with a mission to transform the way cutting-edge technologies can enhance physical, customer-facing experiences.”

Voice AI in the drive-thru arena is evolving quickly and in doing so, offering restaurant chains beset by labor shortages and classic drive-thru snags a better way to work, Gupta told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster in an interview posted in April.

“I think every QSR [quick-service restaurant] chain now looks at the drive-thru as an interesting and important part of its strategy,” Gupta said at the time. “They’re all investing in figuring out what is the future of their drive-thru.”