With the Autocado and the Augmented Makeline, two cutting-edge robots, Chipotle Mexican Grill is taking a huge step into the future of food preparation. These high-tech machines, called “cobots” because they work with people instead of replacing them, are meant to make Chipotle restaurants more efficient without taking away the personal touch that customers enjoy.
This risky move shows that Chipotle wants to stay on the cutting edge of both technology and food standards. Find out how these robots are changing the future of fast food at Chipotle and what this means for workers and customers.
Autocado Is The Robot That Makes Guacamole
Fresh guacamole is one of Chipotle’s most popular menu items. Now, with the help of a robot named Autocado, the food company has found a way to make it even faster. This robot is being tried at the Chipotle in Huntington Beach, California. Autocado is a tool that saves time and works with people to help with the often boring task of cooking avocados.
In What Ways Does Autocad Work?
A team member loads Autocado with a full case of ripe avocados, up to 25 pounds at a time, to start the process. When it’s full, the machine takes over. The avocados are placed upright and moved into the handling area one at a time. In this case, the machine cuts the avocados in half, takes out the pit and skin, and throws away the trash.
Autocado can remove the fruit from each avocado and put it in a stainless steel bowl in just 26 seconds. The bowl is then given to another team member, who adds the last few ingredients and mashes the avocados by hand to make Chipotle’s famous guacamole.
Why Use AutoCAD?
Autocado was created by Chipotle to save time and make work easier for workers. Anyone who has ever made guacamole from scratch knows how hard it is to do over and over again, especially on a large scale like Chipotle’s. Thanks to Autocado, workers can now spend less time preparing avocados and more time on other tasks, like making food or helping customers.
Autocado is especially useful for helping workers manage their time during busy times. It reduces the amount of manual labor needed to prepare a key ingredient while maintaining the high standard of guacamole that Chipotle is known for.
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The Augmented Makeline Is Changing The Way People Order Bowls and Salads
Along with Autocado, Chipotle is also trying the Augmented Makeline, another robot. The Augmented Makeline is meant to automate the bowl and salad-making process, while Autocado is focused on making guacamole.
This high-tech tool is being used right now at Chipotle in Corona del Mar, California. The Augmented Makeline, which was made with the help of the tech company Hyphen, puts together bowls and salads, two of the most popular items on Chipotle’s digital menu.
How The Extra Makeline Works
The Augmented Makeline automates the making of digital orders, which make up about 65% of all Chipotle bowl and salad orders. The tool ensures that each item is measured and placed in the right place, leading to better accuracy and regularity.
Once the bowls and salads are assembled, they can be picked up or delivered. This gives the staff more time to work on other menu items, such as burritos, tacos, and quesadillas.
People who work with this system can not only finish digital orders faster but also lower the chance of mistakes, so customers always get exactly what they bought.
They can keep up their high standards for quality while speeding up the process during busy times, which is good for both workers and customers.
Why Robots Will Be Important For Chipotle In The Future
These two robots are part of Chipotle’s larger plan to make the service faster and friendlier for customers. Chipotle’s Chief Customer and Technology Officer, Curt Garner, thinks these new ideas will help the company run better without sacrificing its commitment to using only fresh, high-quality products.
“The next steps in the stage-gate process before they decide on their full pilot plans are to optimize our use of these systems and take crew and customer feedback into account,” Garner added.
Chipotle keeps trying to find the right balance between efficiency and maintaining the personal touch that has made the brand so popular by adding cobots like Autocado and the Augmented Makeline.
Even though these machines save time and effort, they don’t eliminate the need for people to work. Instead, they free up workers to do more difficult and time-consuming jobs.
This Is Where Chipotle’s Tech Innovations Are Going
They have made it clear that this is just the start of how they will use cutting-edge technology. The company has already invested more than $100 million into its Cultivate Next program, which will help it generate new ideas to improve its business operations.
People from inside and outside the food industry are encouraged to submit Cultivate Next ideas that could help Chipotle run its business better. Chipotle is always looking for new ways to improve the experience of both customers and employees because it is open to new ideas.
Autocado and the Augmented Makeline have shown the way, so it looks like Chipotle will continue to use new technologies in its business. Whether robots, automation, or other new technologies are used, the brand wants to stay ahead of the changes happening in the fast-casual business.
What Does This Mean For Those Who Buy?
Because of these changes, customers will probably have a smoother experience. When you order through the Chipotle app or go to a restaurant in person, you can expect faster service and better quality every time. The Augmented Makeline will make digital sales even more accurate and quick.
As these new technologies are implemented, Chipotle will ask workers and customers for comments to ensure the systems are working as they should. For now, if you’re in California, you might be able to see these cobots in battle.
Your Autocado can be found on Magnolia Street in Huntington Beach, and your Augmented Makeline at the Corona del Mar restaurant on East Coast Highway.
Chipotle’s Unwavering Commitment To New Ideas
Chipotle wants to stay ahead of the curve, and its use of robotic devices shows that it is committed to technical progress and great food. By investing in new technologies that make employees more productive and improve the customer experience, Chipotle is setting itself up to be a leader in the fast-casual eating space.
Automation is becoming increasingly common in everyday life. Chipotle’s use of cobots to help human workers instead of replacing them could set a new standard for the food business. Chipotle may have never had anything like this before, but it won’t be the last time they have one.
Chipotle is making it clear that it’s ready to keep coming up with new ideas, one avocado and one bowl at a time.
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