Mexican fast-food chain Chipotle is testing a new robotic system that will prepare bowls and salads in order to free up employees and partially automate restaurants.

(Video Credit: CNBC Television)

“Chipotle’s new digital makeline built by Hyphen embodies our commitment to leveraging robotics to unlock the human potential of our workforce, ensuring an elevated dining experience for our guests,” Curt Garner, Chief Customer and Technology Officer stated, according to Fox 10. “Our goal is to have the automated digital makeline be the centerpiece of all our restaurants’ digital kitchens.”

The fast-food giant is partnering with Hyphen which is part of the franchise’s Cultivate Next business venture. Its focus is on assisting restaurants to move toward “amplifying technology and innovation,” all “while running great restaurants,” according to a company announcement.

“Chipotle invested in Hyphen as part of CULTIVATE NEXT, the company’s $50 million venture fund that intends to make early-stage investments into strategically aligned companies that further its mission to Cultivate a Better World and help accelerate its aggressive growth plans,” the press release claimed.

“As a people-first company, Chipotle is seeking opportunities that will elevate the human experience for its teams as well as increase access and convenience for its guests. Investments may include innovations in farming and supply chain, advanced robotics, alternative proteins, and more,” it continued.

Chipotle $CMG just announced it is testing an automated digital makeline which would see bowls and salads created by an automated system in collaboration with Hyphen pic.twitter.com/OvXYL04QEL

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“Through Cultivate Next, Chipotle also invested in VEBU, a product development company that works with food industry leaders to co-create intelligent automation and technology solutions. Earlier this year, Chipotle and Vebu unveiled the AUTOCADO, an avocado processing robotic prototype that cuts, cores, and peels avocados before they are hand mashed to create the restaurant’s famous guacamole,” Chipotle explained.

Hyphen will digitally take the order and will primarily be used to create bowls and salads while employees craft more intricate preparations. After the bowl or salad is completed robotically, it will pop on the upper prep line to be added to the order in process. It provides more time for workers to prep burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and kids’ meals.

“A Chipotle employee and the Hyphen can actually work simultaneously. Approximately 65% of Chipotle’s digital orders are either bowls or salads, so having the automated assembly line will help create even faster fast food service,” Fox 10 noted.

Automation is becoming more and more common in the fast-food industry, resulting in the need for fewer human workers. And it seems to be gaining speed in the face of employees demanding higher wages.

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“In the U.S., the restaurant industry employed 15 million people at the end of last year, but that was still 400,000 fewer than before the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association. In a recent survey, 62% of restaurant operators told the association they don’t have enough employees to meet customer demand,” Fox 10 reported.

“Adoption of new technology like QR code menus also laid the ground for robots, said Karthik Namasivayam, director of The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business,” the media outlet pointed out.

“Once an operator begins to understand and work with one technology, other technologies become less daunting and will be much more readily accepted as we go forward,” Namasivayam contended.

At the beginning of 2023, White Castle announced it would be employing Flippy, a robot created to cook burgers and serve up fries.

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Wendy’s also announced earlier this year that it plans to partner with Google to employ cloud AI technology to take orders in its drive-thrus.

“Eventually, Namasivayam expects that a certain percentage of restaurants — maybe 30% — will continue to have human servers and be considered more luxurious, while the rest will lean more heavily on robots in the kitchen and in dining rooms. Economics are on the side of robots, he said; the cost of human labor will continue to rise, but technology costs will fall,” Fox 10 concluded.

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