Steve Ells plans to relaunch fast food chain with his robotic startup ‘Kernel’
Steve Ells, the former CEO of Chipotle, is leading a new startup restaurant called ‘Kernel’ that plans to serve meals with robots, small kitchens, and no more than three people.
emerging tech
Highlights
- Former CEO of Chipotle, is in charge of 'Kernel,' a new restaurant startup
- Kernel's idea ‘fundamentally rethinks labour’ by incorporating robotics
- Company to open headquarters in New York in late 2023
Steve Ells, the former CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill, is preparing to return to the fast-food market with a plant-based, robot-powered chain. Ells established Denver's first Chipotle in 1993. Before stepping down as CEO in 2017 due to a number of foodborne disease episodes at its locations, Ells contributed to the growth of fast casual eating, which is why Chipotle now has more than 3000 locations.
Robots in culinary
According to the New York Post, Steve Ells has been marketing the idea to investors who might be interested. He has been pitching investors on a company that ‘fundamentally rethinks labour, technology, real estate, and menu and uses automation with a human touch.’
Kernel Foods Inc., a robotic startup,launched by Ell's, will be the new automated restaurant that could run with as little as three staff members in an area of around 800-square feet. The pitch deck shows pictures of the small kitchens which include three staff workstations surrounded by computer displays, robotic arms, and a variety of slots for transporting food through an assembly line.
Kernel spokeswoman Sarah Rosenberg agreed that Ells will be the startup's leader and identified it as a "tech-enabled fast-food concept that leverages software and robotics, but declined to make any additional technology-related comments."
Further, she said that the company will have its headquarters in New York, with its executives and first manufacturing hub situated on Manhattan's 14th Street, which is anticipated to open in late 2023.
Customers will find it interesting to visit store locations where they can see the automated kitchen prepare their meals. The menu items proposed by Kernel would include a broad variety of foods, including pizza, spaghetti, hamburgers, salads, acai bowls, and wraps. It also mentions a variety of culinary inspirations, including Greek, Chinese, Indian, Mediterranean, and Thai cuisines.
With certainty, robots and automation are becoming a bigger part of many fast food chains, such as Wendy's and McDonald's, which are using AI to implement chatbots at their drive-thru windows. However, Ell's concept of Kendel will take a different approach because it 'fundamentally rethinks labour' by utilising robots in its kitchen.
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