Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) said Monday it is currently testing its Autocado prototype, which it calls a cobot, or collaborative robot, at a restaurant in Huntington Beach, Calif. Chipotle is also testing its kitchen-operations cobot called Augmented Makeline, built in collaboration with Hyphen, in a store at Corona del Mar, Calif. Chipotle said it has invested an undisclosed amount of money into Vebu, the maker of the Autocado device and Hyphen from its $100 million venture-capital fund, Cultivate Next, which launched in 2022. Curt Garner, Chipotle's chief customer and technology officer, said the devices "could help us build a stronger operational engine that delivers a great experience for our team members and our guests while maintaining Chipotle's high culinary standards." Chipotle's stock was up 0.2% in premarket trading on Monday.

-Steve Gelsi

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September 16, 2024 08:27 ET (12:27 GMT)

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