Photography by Mithy Evans
ABB Robotics and BurgerBots have launched a restaurant featuring an automated kitchen in Los Gatos, Calif. The facility features an ABB IRB 360 FlexPicker and YuMi cobot to assemble fresh-cooked burgers in under 30 seconds.
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Photography by Mithy Evans
ABB Robotics and BurgerBots have launched a restaurant featuring an automated kitchen in Los Gatos, Calif. The facility features an ABB IRB 360 FlexPicker and YuMi cobot to assemble fresh-cooked burgers in under 30 seconds.
ABB Robotics and BurgerBots have launched a new, automated restaurant concept in Los Gatos, Calif. featuring an ABB IRB 360 FlexPicker and YuMi collaborative robot.
The companies said that the automated kitchen delivers perfectly cooked, made-to-order burgers every time, assembling meals with precision and speed while accurately monitoring stock levels and freeing staff to focus on customer experience.
ABB Robotics and BurgerBots said that the compact robotic cell represents a first in food automation, integrating two types of robots with an intelligent inventory monitoring system. As each order is received, a freshly cooked burger patty is placed onto a bun inside a burger box. This box is then positioned on a conveyor shuttle, which is tagged with a QR code.
As it moves along the conveyor, the IRB 360 FlexPicker hygienically performs high-speed topping selection, guided by the data stored in the QR code. Next, the YuMi steps in to collaborate on the final assembly of the burger, The companies said that the entire process takes approximately 27 seconds per burger.
“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.2 By taking over repetitive and time-consuming tasks, robots allow staff to focus on what matters most – creating memorable dining experiences.”
ABB’s robot controller also integrates with non-robotic systems, enabling real-time ingredient inventory tracking - onions, tomatoes, lettuce and condiments - ensuring smooth operations and efficient kitchen management.
Industry research suggests that one of the greatest challenges facing restaurant owners today is attracting and retaining staff. High turnover, rising labor costs and the repetitive nature of back-of-house roles continue to put pressure on hospitality businesses. Automation presents an opportunity not just to fill labor gaps, but to make food service jobs more sustainable and appealing by reducing tedious tasks and improving workflows.
Supporting this shift in mindset, a recent survey commissioned by ABB Robotics found that 67% of hospitality workers agreed that robotics and automation should be used to reduce the amount of dull, dirty and dangerous work humans are doing in the industry. While 63% agreed that the idea of robotics making their job easier is exciting, 65% agreed that they would welcome robots in their workplace if it meant a safer work environment.
BurgerBots is the brainchild of entrepreneur Elizabeth Truong, who sees the Los Gatos location as the first step in a broader commercial rollout. “The vision was to bring consistency, transparency, and efficiency to food service,” said Elizabeth Truong, entrepreneur and founder of BurgerBots. “For restaurant owners, it means better visibility of food costs, more accurate forecasting and – ultimately - better decision making. 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.”
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