This Restaurant Chain Is Testing Robots That Peel Avocados And Make Salads

Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced that it is testing robotic devices that help in the prep of food items such as guacamole, salads and burrito bowls. The popular international fast-casual restaurant chain is known for its made-to-order dishes assembled in front of the customers. There are two distinct types of automated devices being tested at two California outlets. One is called "Autocado", described as an "avocado processing cobotic prototype". It can cut avocados, remove their skin, and separate their fruit in approximately 26 seconds, the company claims. The fruit will then be smashed by hand to make the restaurant's signature guacamole.

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Chipotle and product development company Vebu reportedly identified tasks that are time-consuming and "less favourable" among employees while designing this technology. The idea is that "crew members can focus on assisting with other food prep items and delivering exceptional hospitality to guests," while Autocado performs part of the work. The machine is said to recognise "variability in the fruit" and can thus automatically make adjustments according to the size of the avocados it is fed with. The company says that it is expected to use around 129.5 million pounds of fruit across its locations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe this year.

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While Autocado is currently being used at Chipotle's Huntington Beach location, another cobotic device, called the "Augmented Makeline", is being operated at the Corona del Mar branch. Created in collaboration with Hyphen, it uses automated technology to make bowls and salads while employees can take charge of burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and kid's meals. Reuters reported that this device automatically dispenses rice, corn, lettuce and other ingredients into a bowl under the counter. The company states that approximately 65% of all its digital orders are bowls or salads. "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. He added that the company will seek feedback from customers and crew before deciding about expanding the technology to other locations.

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