Dive Brief:
- Serve Robotics will buy Vebu, the developer of Chipotle’s avocado processing machine, the Autocado, in an all-stock transaction, according to a press release emailed to Restaurant Dive.
- The delivery robotics company anticipates the acquisition will strengthen it by broadening what it offers to restaurants. Currently, Serve’s business model centers on deploying sidewalk delivery bots in partnership with restaurants and delivery aggregators.
- Vebu’s Autocado is currently being tested at a California Chipotle location as part of the fast casual giant’s extended process for developing and deploying in-store tech.
Dive Insight:
After the close of the deal, Vebu’s founder and CEO Buck Jordan will continue to head development of the Autocado as SVP of Kitchen Automation.
“This is an exciting opportunity to merge our efforts, experience, and expertise to bring groundbreaking automation to a wider audience,” Jordan said in the press release. “Together, we will strive to provide a suite of automation solutions that will change the future of restaurant operations.”
Given Serve’s work with firms like 7-Eleven and Shake Shack, Vebu may get the chance to address a broader variety of operational problems than peeling and coring avocados. Likewise, Vebu’s connections with Chipotle could prove advantageous to Serve as it looks to expand its geographic range.
“We will be uniquely positioned to utilize robotics and AI to solve the labor shortages plaguing the restaurant industry,” Ali Kashani, Serve’s CEO, said in a statement. “This acquisition underscores our commitment to helping our partners operate more efficiently and to expanding our partnerships with national chain restaurants.”
Chipotle previously backed Vebu through its Cultivate Next Venture fund, and is an example of the interest many chains have in developing devices that reduce their need for hourly workers. While some efforts, like Brinker’s tests of Rita the Robot server, have not proven successful, the industry’s continued interest in tech like drive-thru voice AI shows that the moderation in real wage growth since late 2022 has not ended the restaurant industry’s desire for automation.
