Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is testing a third automated system for the kitchen adding to its existing lineup of Chippy the robot chipmaker and the avocado processing prototype, Autocado.
The Newport Beach-based restaurant chain, OC’s second largest ranked by sales, partnered with tech firm Hyphen to develop an automated digital makeline that assembles bowls and salads from digital orders.
The system carries the dish to specified food containers that dispense a portion of each ingredient according to the order and when complete, is delivered back to the countertop for an employee to finish and deliver.
Approximately 65% of all Chipotle digital orders are bowls or salads, according to the restaurant chain.
“Our goal is to have the automated digital makeline be the centerpiece of all our restaurants’ digital kitchens,” Chief Customer and Technology Officer Curt Garner said in a statement.
The chain counts over 3,250 restaurants as of June. Chipotle reported second-quarter revenue of $2.5 billion, up 14% from a year ago.
