Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle tested an automated food assembly system called the 'Augmented Makeline,' developed with Hyphen, in a Corona del Mar, California restaurant starting September 2024. The system automatically dispenses ingredients to build bowls and salads for digital orders, while human crew members simultaneously assemble burritos, tacos, and other items on a parallel line. | AI Trace
Productivity AutomationVerified
Chipotle tested an automated food assembly system called the 'Augmented Makeline,' developed with Hyphen, in a Corona del Mar, California restaurant starting September 2024. The system automatically dispenses ingredients to build bowls and salads for digital orders, while human crew members simultaneously assemble burritos, tacos, and other items on a parallel line.
Details
The Augmented Makeline was co-developed with Hyphen, a foodservice automation company funded through Chipotle's Cultivate Next venture fund. The system is designed to handle digital orders for bowls and salads, which represent approximately 65% of Chipotle's digital orders. It can assemble up to 180 bowls per hour and uses AI-driven dynamic portioning to ensure ingredient consistency. As of 2025, the automated makeline was undergoing further refinement before broader deployment, per Chipotle's Q2 2025 earnings call.
