Chipotle Introduces Autocado: The Robot That Prepares Guacamole

Chipotle is introducing a new robot, called “Autocado,” to assist in the preparation of its guacamole. The robot is designed to perform tasks such as cutting, coring, and peeling avocados, which are considered tedious and time-consuming for employees. This move comes as the restaurant industry faces labor shortages, with over 1.2 million job openings in the US in May. However, Chipotle assures that the robot will not eliminate jobs but rather work collaboratively with employees to speed up guacamole production.

While Autocado handles the avocado preparation, an employee will still be responsible for mashing the avocados and adding other ingredients to create the guacamole’s creamy consistency. The robot has the potential to cut the time it takes to prepare a batch of guacamole in half, which could save Chipotle millions in annual food costs if successful.

This move by Chipotle is part of a larger trend in the restaurant industry towards automating tasks. Other fast-food chains, such as White Castle, have implemented robots to take over specific tasks, like frying stations. Additionally, restaurants across the country are introducing artificial intelligence drive-thrus.

To use Autocado, an employee loads up to 25 pounds of avocados into the robot. The avocados are then sliced in half, and the cores and skins are removed, with the sliced and peeled avocados collected into a bowl. Chipotle purchases over 100 million pounds of avocados each year, making this automation a significant efficiency improvement for the company.

While there are already automated avocado peeling machines available, Autocado is specifically designed to meet Chipotle’s needs and is proprietary. Chipotle partnered with Vebu Labs, a robotics startup in California, to analyze the preparation process and identify the most time-consuming tasks for employees. Chipotle has also invested in Vebu as part of its $50 million venture, Cultivate Next.

In addition to Autocado, Chipotle is testing another robot called “Chippy,” which uses artificial intelligence to make tortilla chips to accompany the guacamole. The company is also considering introducing dishwashing robots in the future. These advancements in automation aim to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency in the fast-casual Mexican food chain.

Can Autocado’s ability to handle mundane tasks like slicing, removing cores, and peeling avocados ultimately augment human efforts and experience without resulting in job losses in the restaurant sector

Chipotle is set to debut a new robot, labeled “Autocado,” aimed at enhancing the production of their beloved guacamole. The innovative robot has been specifically engineered to handle tasks like slicing, removing cores, and peeling avocados, traditionally viewed as mundane and time-consuming responsibilities for human workers. This development arrives at a time when the restaurant sector grapples with a shortage of labor, with more than 1.2 million vacancies reported in the United States in May. Nevertheless, Chipotle has affirmed that Autocado will not result in job losses, but instead aims to streamline operations, augmenting human efforts and experience.