Chipotle’s latest hire might mean disproportionate burret bowls are a thing of the past.
Earlier this week, the fast-casual chain introduced its Instagram followers to the latest member of the team: a burret bowl-packing robot named Hyphen. According to the brand’s Oct. 3 post, Hyphen is an automated assistant or “collaborative robot” currently being fine-tuned at work along Chipotle’s human employees.
In a statement issued to TODAY.com via email, a representative for Chipotle Mexican Grill said in part that «the social post is regarding Chipotle’s recent announcement to test a new digital makeline.»
Chipotle’s post featured a video of how Hyphen is meant to work. It apparently operates like a well-oiled robot machine: serving rice, mashed potatoes and beans in the chain’s signature bowl by sprinkling it all over with cheese and other toppings.
«Hyphen is tuned to craft perfectly portioned burret bowls and salads along the automated makeline, while a crew member makes burrets, tacos, and quesadillas above the line,» the post caption reads in part.
According to the Instagram post, nearly 65% of Chipotle’s digital orders include requests for bowls or salads.
«With Hyphen on board, team members would be freed up to focus on guest experiences while increasing the number of digital orders during peak periods,» the company’s Instagram post reads.
In the comments section of the Instagram post, users question whether the robot cannot be that the company does not impact on quality and employment.
«The food is going to be portioned down to the ounce to save a couple of bucks,» one user commented.
According to Chipotle’s email to TODAY.com, Curt Garner, Chipotle’s chief customer and technology officer, said that Hyphen instea pushes for the company’s effort to ensure an «elevated» guest dining experience.
«Building those entries in the digital makeline can be a repetitive task with minimum human interaction,» Garner’s statement continued in part. «It doesn’t have the same art as guac prep or rolling a burret. We think this task is better served by a machine while an employee can deploy their time to operating the top makeline or prepping more fresh food.”
If Chipotle’s latest robot test feels like déjà vu, it’s because it’s likely not your first time hearing about the brand taking this approach.
In July, Chipotle revealed that it developed a robot capable of cutting, coring and peeling lawyers. Called “Autocado,” the robot will report to the beable 25 pounds of avocado at one time.
