Chipotle roll out the ‘Autocado’ at 2 California restaurants

KTLA — Chipotle announced Monday that its automated bowl-and-salad maker and an avocado-processing robot will be deployed at two locations in Southern California.

Autocado can take up to 25 pounds of unpeeled avocados at a time, stand them upright, slice them in half, and remove the skin and pit, the company said.

The peeled avocados are then dropped into a bowl, and a Chipotle worker adds ingredients to create the company’s signature guacamole. The technology was developed in collaboration with Vebu, a product development company.

Autocado will be deployed at the company’s location in Huntington Beach at 20972 Magnolia St.

Chipotle’s Augmented Makeline, which uses automated technology to build bowls and salads, will be at the company’s Corona del Mar location at 3050 East Coast Hwy.

Chipotle employees will operate the top of the makeline to make burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and kid’s meals while the technology creates bowls and salads at the bottom. Chipotle said that 65% of digital orders are bowls and salads, and the tech will “improve employee efficiency and digital order accuracy, ensuring a more consistent experience for digital guests.”

“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,” Curt Garner, Chipotle’s chief customer and technology officer, said in a statement.

According to the company, initial crew and customer feedback will help determine if the tech sees a nationwide release.

In 2022, the company also tested a robotic kitchen assistant named “ Chippy, ” whose primary job was cooking the restaurant’s tortilla chips at its digital test kitchen in Irvine.

Many restaurants, such as Sweetgreen, Jack-in-the-Box, and Chick-fil-A, have also invested in technology that reduces the need for human workers.

In April, a fast-food wage law was enacted in California, raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers from $16 per hour to $20.

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