Chipotle uses robot ‘autokado’ to make guacamole in California. where fast food pay is $20 an hour

Chipotle moved an automated bowl and salad maker and an avocado processing robot out of its test kitchen and into several locations in California.

The chain announced the deployment on Monday and said feedback will determine whether it makes a wider rollout of the technology.

Both locations are in California, where all fast-food chains must pay $20 an hour for workers with the most likely raises on the horizon. Chipotle said in a statement that it is testing the technology to find efficiencies and “help our restaurant employees continue to provide excellent hospitality to our guests.”

Many restaurant chains have implemented technology in recent years that reduces the need for cashiers, such as self-service kiosks. Other California-based chains, Sweetgreen and Jack-in-the-Box, have also invested in private tech startups that present a vision of burgers, fries and salad bowls made mostly by robots.

However, fast food workers generally perform other tasks such as greeting customers, cleaning the floor, and retrieving supplies from the back room – which most robots cannot handle, currently.

Chipotle, which had revenue of nearly $9.9 billion last year, has not linked automation to the state’s wage increase. She said employees working with the automated bowl and salad maker will continue to make burritos and tacos, add side items and monitor the quality of the machines.

The automated bowl and salad maker, which Chipotle calls its “augmented line,” automatically dispenses rice, corn, lettuce and other ingredients into a bowl under the counter. Chipotle said 65% of all digital orders are bowls and salads.

“This technology could be a game-changer, pushing Chipotle well ahead of its competition in automation,” BTIG analyst Peter Saleh said in a July 25 investor note, referring to its automated bowl and salad maker.

Chipotle said it invested in the technology through a $100 million venture fund, to which it added $50 million in February. The fund has a stake in Hyphen, a San Jose-based startup founded in 2020 behind Chipotle’s automated bowl and salad maker, which is up and running at its Corona Del Mar store.

Sweetgreen has already rolled out a similar automatic bowl-making machine, opening what it calls “Infinity Kitchens” in several locations, including California.

Chipotle’s “autocado” technology, which chops, peels and peels avocados before an employee shreds them into guacamole, is in place at its Huntington Beach location, he said. Created by Vebu, a Los Angeles-based startup founded in 2022, the machine processes an avocado in 26 seconds. Chipotle says it goes through more than 5 million cases of avocados a year.

Previously, Chipotle tested “Chippy,” an automated system that produces seasoned tortilla chips. But the company said the cleanup and setup costs offset much of its labor savings.

Fast food chains currently employ more workers in California than in any other state. After the new $20-an-hour minimum wage took effect April 1, Chipotle raised prices 7% in the state, executives said on investor calls earlier this year.

For 2025, the California Fast Food Workers Union is seeking to raise the minimum wage from $20 to $20.70 to account for inflation. On Wednesday, a meeting of the Fast Food Workers Council heard public comments from many franchisees asking the council to hold off on further increases.