Last summer, Chipotle invested in Vebu as part of its $100 million Cultivate Next fund. That investment included the creation of a new avocado processing co-robot prototype, called Autocado, to automate part of Chipotle’s guacamole preparation.
The Autocado has since moved into a single-restaurant test, but its parent company has been acquired by Serve Robotics Inc. As a result of the acquisition, Serve Robotics is now working directly with Chipotle. Financial terms of the all-stock transaction were not disclosed.
Notably, Serve Robotics also recently partnered with Shake Shack to roll out autonomous robotic delivery. The company also works with Uber Eats and 7-Eleven. Vebu’s Autocado is its signature product, eliminating the need for employees to cut, core, and scoop up to 25 avocados at a time to prepare guacamole. According to Serve Robotics, the acquisition is expected to provide its restaurant partners with a suite of automation solutions and expand its offerings beyond delivery and into back-of-house automation.
Vebu's founder and CEO Buck Jordan will join Serve Robotics as senior vice president of Kitchen Automation upon closing the transaction. He will continue to lead the Vebu team, overseeing Autocado’s continued development, and driving additional innovations. In a statement, Jordan said he was an early investor in Serve Robotics, adding that the opportunity to merge efforts, experience, and expertise will “change the future of restaurant operations.”
"By adding Vebu's pioneering kitchen automation capabilities to our autonomous delivery offering, we will be uniquely positioned to utilize robotics and AI to solve the labor shortages plaguing the restaurant industry. This acquisition underscores our commitment to helping our partners operate more efficiently and to expanding our partnerships with national chain restaurants,” Serve CEO and co-founder Dr. Ali Kashani added in a statement.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
