A robot may soon be making the guacamole you're paying extra for.
Chipotle has partnered with food industry automation studio Vebu to put collaborative robots in Chipotle restaurants. Chipotle's first cobot, "Autocado," joined workers at the Huntington Beach, Calif. Chipotle for the first time Monday.
Chipotle's partnership with Vebu is part of the chain's $100 million Cultivate Next venture fund. Cultivate Next makes early-stage investments into companies that can help accelerate Chipotle's plans to grow to 7,000 restaurants in North America.
In Monday's press-release, Chipotle describes Autocado as an avocado processing cobotic prototype. The machine takes 26 seconds on average to cut, core and peel avocados.
Vebu developed Autocado after working with Chipotle to identify tasks that are time consuming and less favorable among staff.
"These cobotic devices could help us build a stronger operational engine that delivers a great experience for our team members and our guests while maintaining Chipotle's high culinary standards," said Curt Garner, Chief Customer and Technology Officer.
Chipotle intends to keep its signature guacamole hand-mashed by human employees and will incorporate crew and customer feedback into developing plans to rollout cobotic devices on a broader scale.
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