Nowadays, robots can achieve amazing things – whether it’s assembling an entire vehicle, shuttling room service dinner around a hotel or shaking up a strong cocktail, robot workers are taking over the service industry.
So on your next Chipotle run, don’t be surprised if you catch a robot in the kitchen, swiftly whipping up your favorite meal.
The popular fast food chain is welcoming its newest hire, “Chippy,” a robotic kitchen assistant whose main job is cooking the restaurant’s tortilla chips.
Chippy was tested during a pilot run at the company’s digital test kitchen in Irvine, California earlier this year.
Upon a successful run, Chippy is now officially debuting at the company’s Fountain Valley location along with a new AI-powered kitchen management system.
“Chippy is trained to replicate Chipotle’s exact recipe – using corn masa flour, water and sunflower oil – to cook chips to perfection, season with a dusting of salt, and finish with a hint of fresh lime juice,” said Chipotle. “It was imperative that the technique remained the same so customers receive delicious, craveable chips every time.”
The company says Chippy’s help will allow associates to better focus on other duties.
Chipotle says the AI-powered kitchen management system will be tested at eight locations throughout Orange County.
Chippy was manufactured by MISO Robotics, a robotics company focused on eliminating “dull, dirty and dangerous tasks in restaurant kitchens.”
MISO Robotics has partnered with other big-name fast food chains, utilizing robots that can flip fried food baskets, automate drink dispensing, perfect coffee making and more.