California’s BurgerBots Restaurant Concept Puts Robots To Work on the Fast-Food Line

The future of fast-food work may be on the near horizon, at least if a new Los Gatos, California, concept restaurant is any indication. According to a press release by ABB Robotics, BurgerBots could be the first in a longer lineup of quick-service restaurants that feature robotic workers on the burger assembly line rather than human staff.

Utilizing ABB’s IRB 360 FlexPicker and YuMi collaborative robot, the BurgerBots restaurant concept sees human cooks grilling up seasoned patties and then letting the robots handle everything concerning assembly from there. The patty is placed on a bottom bun inside a burger box, which is “then positioned on a conveyor shuttle, which is tagged with a QR code.” The robots then get to work, meticulously placing ingredients — onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc. — and condiments as per each individual order. The robots also deliver and receive real-time inventory levels, allowing managerial staff to see exactly what ingredients need replacement and when.

“Integrating ABB robots with the BurgerBots restaurant concept demonstrates the incredible potential for automation beyond the factory floor,” said Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics Division.

“The food service industry is dynamic and demanding, and our technology brings industrial-grade consistency, efficiency and reliability to this space. When we asked the hospitality industry, 89% of managers and 73% of workers said they are open to the integration of robotics to automate tasks within their operations. By taking over repetitive and time-consuming tasks, robots allow staff to focus on what matters most — creating memorable dining experiences,” he added.

And it’s precisely that sort of focus on automation, one which allows human employees to take customer-facing roles in the interest of improved customer service and relations, that may spur a greater degree of robotic integration in the fast-food business.

Growing Support for Automation Like BurgerBots in Food Service

According to a survey commissioned by ABB Robotics, over two-thirds (67%) of hospitality workers polled agreed that automation should be used to cut down on the “dull, dirty, dangerous work” currently handled by human workers in the industry. A nearly identical cohort of respondents indicated that the notion of including robots in these roles — as co-workers of a sort — was “exciting” (63%), and that they’d welcome robotic assistance in their places of employment if doing so would improve safety (65%).

Entrepreneur Elizabeth Truong, owner of BurgerBots, emphasized the consistency, transparency, and efficiency afforded to the assembly process provided by the robot workers in remarks made via the press release.

“The vision was to bring consistency, transparency, and efficiency to food service. For restaurant owners, it means better visibility of food costs, more accurate forecasting and — ultimately — better decision making,” Truong said.

“In the next five years, I believe that most restaurants will have some form of robotic automation, whether it’s back-of-house preparation, assembly, or even front-of-house service. It will become less of a novelty and more of a necessity,” she added.

BurgerBots’ burgers start at $18, with prices rising from there — a range that may reflect the restaurant’s location in Los Gatos, a relatively affluent Bay Area community, as New Atlas pointed out.