Chipotle has developed robots to ensure that all portions are the same size.
The popular Mexican chain — with nearly 3,400 locations in the US — has built a machine that can prepare orders for salads and bowls.
Last week, bosses admitted widespread customer complaints about differing portion sizes between stores were justified.
But there’s another reason Chipotle’s bosses are so eager to move ahead: It will reduce the number of workers needed, dramatically cutting rising labor costs.
The so-called digital makeline, which creates customized salads and bowls based on orders placed through the app, will be tested in restaurants in August, Chipotle CFO Jack Hartung told analysts.
Since two out of three of the chain’s orders are for these meals, executives believe the machine could save staff significant time.
It is one of many new robots. The other important one is the ‘Autocado’, a robot for processing avocados.
The advanced technology is currently undergoing final safety checks before being released onto the market.
Chipotle wants to introduce a digital makeline to create salads and bowls
The makeline could be introduced in restaurants as early as August this year
However, questions have already been raised about the security of the digital makeline.
A promotional video released last year showed chopped ingredients jumping out of the bowls in the machine, which some saw as a potential hazard.
“Our food safety and operations teams worked closely with our technology teams to ensure that the design took into account things like cleaning, speed and accuracy,” CEO Brian Niccol said during last week’s call.
‘There are a lot of things happening at home to make us more effective in terms of cooking and preparation, which allows us to be consistently successful.’
“We have things that allow us to prep more efficiently, like an Autocado, a vegetable slicer, a two-sided grill, or modifications to our rice cooker and fryer equipment,” Hartung said.
He adds: ‘There are a lot of things happening at home to make us more effective in terms of cooking and preparation, which allows us to be consistently successful.’
It’s not yet clear how the production costs of machines compare to human labor in making Chipotle menu items.
It is also not yet clear how many items the digital assembly line can produce per hour in relation to the workforce.
Chipotle is betting big on technological advancements, investing $100 million in its Cultivate Next fund.
The fund provides money to partner companies to develop machines that it hopes can be used on a large scale in restaurants or the supply chain.
Despite this, the company hasn’t relied on flashy new technology to handle its large order volumes so far this year, instead increasing the number of waitstaff on staff, Restaurant Dive reported.
Chipotle has invested in the production of ‘Autocado’, an avocado processing robot
Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem and his team ordered 75 burrito bowls from eight different locations in New York City
Chipotle’s revenue beat Wall Street expectations this year, thanks to price increases and a growing number of loyal customers.
But the company has faced criticism this year for its varying portion sizes.
It brought Chipotle CEO Brian Nicol denies giving orders staff to skimp on portions He announced that the company will implement changes to ensure satisfaction.
He revealed that Chipotle will retrain its staff to ensure consistently “generous portions” are served in all of its 3,500-plus stores.
Last month, Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem and his team tested the theory that Chipotle was skimping on its typically large portions after a series of videos posted to TikTok showed employees barely filling their burritos.
The team ordered and weighed 75 bowls — all containing the same ingredients — from eight locations in New York City.
They found that the consistency of the burrito bowls varied widely from restaurant to restaurant, with some locations serving bowls that were up to 33 percent heavier than others, the study found.