Chipotle founder Steve Ells is returning to the industry with a new startup that will serve meat-free sandwiches in restaurants powered by robots and skeleton crews.
Steve Ells, the founder and ex-CEO of the fast casual food giant Chipotle, is plotting a return to the industry early next year with a new startup that will serve meat-free sandwiches in restaurants powered by robots and skeleton crews. Ells, 58, is scheduled to open a chain of restaurants called Kernel, with the first location expected to open in Manhattan and plans for at least a dozen more throughout New York over the next two years, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Kernel is designed to run on fewer resources and be less wasteful, therefore enabling eateries to operate more efficiently. The businessman has put $10 million of his own cash to jump start Kernel and has raised a further $36 million from investors. Ells has tapped Stephen Goldstein, a longtime food delivery industry executive, to serve as president of the company, according to reports.
Ells explained to The Wall Street Journal how the process in his new restaurants will work with the robots doing much of the heavy lifting. A customer order is sent to the kitchen where a robotic arm puts food-laden pans into the oven. A programmed toaster flips a bun into the oven for warming, while conveyor belts moves dishes through the kitchen, according to the publication.
Ells said the concept will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He said his robotic, meat-free concept was inspired by a book by Bill Gates called, "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," that advocates for new technological strategies to address purported human-induced climate change. He said the upcoming menu Kernel menu leans on legumes and vegetables rather than newer plant-based meat alternatives. "It’s not trying to be beef.
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