5 things to know about Chipotle robots leading the path for restaurant automation, from tortilla chips to tacos and burritos.
In addition to artificial intelligence (AI), automation has also been making headlines as a rapidly growing industry that is starting to impact humans on a large scale. While we are familiar with the automation revolution in factories and warehouses, with Amazon leading the way in implementing robots, this technology is now expanding beyond these settings and becoming more efficient. Chipotle Mexican Grill, an American fast-casual restaurant chain, is one brand that has embraced this technology and is utilizing robots for restaurant automation. From tortilla chips to tacos and burritos, let’s explore what the Chipotle robots have been up to.
Chipotle robots in restaurant automation
1. In early 2022, Chipotle began working with Miso Robotics to create and test autonomous kitchen assistants. These robots named Chippy were given one special task – to cook tortilla chips. The whole process involved cooking these chips from scratch and seasoning them with salt and fresh lime juice.
“We asked our team members if we could find a better mousetrap for anything in the restaurant, and what it would be, and at the top of the list was a better way to make chips,” said Curt Garner, Chipotle’s CTO. told CNBC in an interview.
2. Chipotle is testing its restaurant automation machinery at its innovation center called the Chipotle Cultivate Center in Irvine, California. Here, the company experiments with new technologies and recipes to bring new menus, cooking tools and autonomous kitchen assistants to its national outlets. The testing phase usually takes place in the Southern California area, where both employees and customers are asked for feedback before it is rolled out on a large scale.
3. Chipotle didn’t stop at Chippy, though. In early 2023, it was announced that the company was testing yet another robot, this time to help make guacamole. The robot was aptly named Autocado (gateway to automation and avocado). Unlike Chippy, which took care of making ready-made chips from scratch, Autocado was primarily a collaborative robot. It cuts, seeds and peels the avocados before they are hand-transformed into guacamole. Chipotle partnered with Vebu to create the device.
4. If you thought Chipotle stopped after Chippy and Autocado, you’re wrong. In October 2023, the company announced that it would be testing an automated digital makeline in cooperation with the kitchen automation platform Hyphen. The new maker creates burritos, tacos and quesadillas. The company also said it would only be used for digital orders as a way to help its employees with repetitive tasks, and not intended for dine-in customers.
“About 65% of all Chipotle digital orders are bowls or salads, so a cobot digital make machine can free up more time for employees to maintain the front line and deliver exceptional hospitality, while increasing digital order capacity during peak times,” the company said in a release.
5. And on December 13, Chipotle announced that it now plans to bring robotics to its premises. According to a press release, the company invested $50 million in automation-focused agritech startup Greenfield Robotics through its Cultivate Next venture fund. The restaurant chain is also collaborating with the startup to create robots that work on its farms, where it sources fresh ingredients.
According to a press release, these robots can cut weeds between crop rows continuously, reducing reliance on harmful chemicals to remove weeds and other invasive plant species. The company also plans to add new features to these robots, such as soil testing, plant planting and micro-injection.
