During Chipotle’s most recent earnings call in late July, former CEO Brian Niccol said the company’s automated digital makeline and Autocado systems were “making their way through final checks ahead of being pilot tested in their first restaurant.”
Today, the company announced both systems are now live in an actual restaurant. Autocado – a cobotic prototype developed alongside Vebu that cuts, cores, and peels avocados before team members mash them into guacamole – is now being tested in a Huntington Beach, Calif., restaurant. The company said Autocado fully fleshes out the fruit inside an avocado every 26 seconds, which adds up when considering Chipotle is expected to use 5.18 million cases of avocados this year.
The Augmented Makeline – a cobotic makeline built in collaboration with Hyphen – is in test at a Corona del Mar, Calif., restaurant building bowls and salads. According to the company, approximately 65% of all digital orders are bowls and salads, so the makeline also has the potential to free up more time for employees so they can focus on assistance elsewhere and on hospitality.
During recent earnings calls, Niccol said Hyphen and Autocado could remove less favorable tasks for team members, while also supporting accuracy and throughput efforts. He also said such automation enables the company to run better, more efficient operations as it targets $4 million average unit volumes.
“One thing I know for sure is if we could get every restaurant 100% of the time to have their prep done on time and ready to roll, our throughput would go up. So, we're going to do everything we can to ensure we're investing in prep both more efficiently and then also effectively to get it done,” he said last year.
Vebu and Chipotle worked closely with certified training managers from Chipotle’s restaurants to analyze the company’s prep process and identify tasks that are time consuming.
"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," chief customer and technology officer Curt Garner said in a statement. "Optimizing our use of these systems and incorporating crew and customer feedback are the next steps in the stage-gate process before determining their broader pilot plans."
Both systems are part of Chipotle’s Cultivate Next venture fund, first launched in early 2022 to pursue new partnerships in supply chain, agriculture, automation, restaurant innovation, and other areas. Earlier this year, Chipotle doubled its fund to $100 million to invest in what the company calls “strategically aligned companies” that could support its goal of doubling its footprint to 7,000 locations in the coming years. In addition to Vebu and Hyphen, Chipotle’s Cultivate Next partners include Local Line, GreenField Robotics, Nitricity, Meati, and Zero Acre Farms.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
