Chipotle Mexican Grill has introduced a groundbreaking new innovation: the Autocado, a robot capable of preparing guacamole in half the time it takes human workers. The device, unveiled on Wednesday, is designed specifically to handle the labor-intensive task of preparing avocados. Using the Autocado, 25 pounds of avocados can be effortless sliced, cored, and peeled at once, a process that typically takes human employees around 50 minutes. However, the finishing touches, such as adding other ingredients and mixing them together, will still be applied by human workers. The Autocado is currently being tested at Chipotle’s test kitchen in California, though it has not been confirmed whether the machine will be introduced in all 3,200 Chipotle locations worldwide.
Curt Garner, Chipotle’s chief customer and technology officer, emphasized that although Autocado handles the arduous avocado preparation process, the essential culinary experience of hand mashing and hand preparing the guacamole remains intact, ensuring Chipotle’s high standards are maintained. Vebu Labs, a California-based robotics and automation firm, collaborated with Chipotle to develop Autocado. The machine stacks a group of avocados vertically before skillfully removing their skin and core. The remaining avocado flesh is then dropped into a stainless steel bowl, which is utilized by a Chipotle worker as a base for a batch of guacamole.
Vebu CEO Buck Jordan stated that their technology enables the creation of Chipotle’s guacamole more efficiently than ever. Vebu also aims to enhance Autocado’s performance by implementing artificial intelligence to teach the machine how to evaluate the ripeness of avocados. In addition to the Autocado, Chipotle is also testing the use of robotics in making their tortilla chips. Last year, Chippy, a robotic kitchen assistant, made its debut at a California location.
Chipotle is not alone in exploring the integration of robotics and AI into the restaurant industry. Sweetgreen, a renowned restaurant chain, implemented AI technology in their Naperville kitchen earlier this year to streamline salad-making processes. However, the location still relies on human staff to add finishing touches to each order. CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, introduced AI called Tori for taking drive-thru orders, while McDonald’s has implemented similar technologies at select drive-thru locations.
Despite these exciting developments, Chipotle’s stock price remained relatively stable on Wednesday afternoon, trading at $2,070 per share.
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