Robots – coming soon to a kitchen near you

As Isaac Asimov said when creating the Laws of Robotics: “First, do no harm – now go make me a burrito.”

We’ll be one step closer to his not-at-all-made-up vision later this month, when Chipotle installs “Chippy,” an autonomous kitchen assistant made by Miso Robotics, in a real-life California restaurant. Though instead of burritos, the AI-powered robot will be tasked with making tortilla chips.

👩‍🍳🤖 A deeper dive… The move follows successful tests at Chipotle’s innovation hub in Irvine, CA, where Chippy was trained to mirror the company’s current recipe and chip-making process. The fast-casual dining chain views the tech as a way to potentially plug a labor shortage (4 out of 5 restaurant operators are understaffed, per a 2021 National Restaurant Association report), as well as boost efficiency and margins. And it’s not alone.

• White Castle, Jack in the Box, and B Dubs are also piloting Miso Robotics’ tech, but to fry food (Flippy 2) and fulfill drink orders (Sippy).
• Panera and McDonald’s have been testing automated drive-thru ordering.
• 800 Degrees Go, a joint venture between 800 Degrees Pizza and restaurant-tech company Piestro, plans to install 3,600 pizza-making robots in locations across the US over the next five years.

👀 Looking ahead… The global market for cobots, or collaborative robots, is expected to reach north of $12 billion by 2028, from $650 million in 2018. That’s a CAGR of ~45%.😳

Which is to say: robots are coming soon to a kitchen near you. A recent report from Lightspeed found 50% of restaurant owners plan to install automation tech within the next two or three years.

+Disclosure: Piestro was a past sponsor of the DONUT.