Chipotle's Autocado can cut the guacamole prep time in half. — AFP Relaxnews
It can peel, chop and even remove the cores from over ten kilograms of avocados in a single operation! And all without the help of any human employees. Its name is Autocado and it's a robot being used by Chipotle restaurants in the USA to speed up the preparation of guacamole. One more example of how the fast-food industry is looking to technology to deliver meals even faster.
We've already seen articulated robotic arms dipping French fries into hot oil. Now there's a new robot in the kitchen; Autocado is an intelligent tech solution that prepares avocados at top speed. Not only does it peel avocados, it can also remove the core and separate out all the flesh, so that all that's left to do is mash it and add the other guacamole ingredients.
The robot is currently being tested in California by US-based fast-food giant Chipotle, which specializes in Mexican-inspired dishes. Using this solution, the preparation time for the famous avocado concoction, which usually also includes onion, cilantro, lime juice and jalapeno, could be cut in half.
As staffing issues continue to challenge the restaurant industry, this major fast-food chain, which has contributed to making Tex-Mex cuisine an international success, wants to "ease pain points" for its employees allowing them greater flexibility and to focus more on "serving guests," says the chain in a press release. It's also a question of optimization and speed. From McDonald's to Burger King to Chipotle, a slew of fast-food chains are seeking to fluidify production times of all aspects in order to serve their customers ever faster. Chipotle employees usually need 50 minutes to prepare a single batch of guacamole.
And it's not only coming from the corporation's side. Consumers are also demanding that the foodservice industry become ultra-fast. A prime example is the central importance of the drive-thru. In the US, this convenient, in-car service is essential to maintaining customer loyalty. In a recent study, spotted by Restaurant Business, nearly half of Americans said they would no longer go to a fast-food restaurant without a drive-thru.
Chipotle, which has over 3,200 restaurants worldwide, is also trying to highlight the environmental benefits of this new robot. By optimizing the peeling and cutting of avocados, the company hopes to reduce food waste. Something that isn't negligible, given that the company claims to use 4.5 million cases – or 100 million pounds -- of avocados a year. Of course, avocado production in itself comes with a heavy environmental footprint. It takes up to 1,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of the fruit.
Transporting them can also add to this footprint, since avocados have to be kept at a temperature of 6°C to prevent them from ripening. In Mexico, the avocado issue has even become a social one, with drug cartels turning it into a new source of income. – AFP Relaxnews
