Technology

Chipotle testing chip-making robot

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March 16, 2022

Chipotle Mexican Grill is testing a chip-making robot, Chippy, developed by Miso Robotics.

Chipotle's culinary team guided Miso in tailoring its technology to maintain the integrity of the brand, Chipotle Chief Technology Officer Curt Garner said in a company press release. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Chippy replicates Chipotle's exact recipe — using corn masa flour, water and sunflower oil — to cook chips, season with a dusting of salt and finish with a hint of lime juice.

"Everyone loves finding a chip with a little more salt or an extra hint of lime," Nevielle Panthaky, Chipotle's VP of Culinary, said in the release. "To ensure we didn't lose the humanity behind our culinary experience, we trained Chippy extensively to ensure the output mirrored our current product, delivering some subtle variations in flavor that our guests expect."

Chippy is being tested at the Chipotle Cultivate Center, Chipotle's innovation hub in Irvine, California, and will be on the menu later this year at a location in Southern California.

"When Chipotle challenged us to see if our technology could meet the brand's high standards for culinary quality, we couldn't wait to flex our engineering and design muscles," Miso CEO Mike Bell said in the release. "This partnership will allow us to move into new territory to help improve back-of-house functions and assist team members with their day-to-day responsibilities."

Chippy isn't the first way Chipotle has used AI in its operations. It also has a concierge chat bot, Pepper, which ensures that guests have an exceptional experience on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com.

Chipotle has 2,950 restaurants.