(Reuters) – Serve Robotics, known for its sidewalk delivery robots, is branching out from its mainstay focus on automated delivery solutions and into restaurant kitchens through its acquisition of the ‘Autocado’ technology seen at Chipotle stores.
Serve said on Thursday it would acquire Vebu, the company behind the avocado processing robot Autocado, which automates the cutting, coring and scooping of avocados. Burrito chain Chipotle has been testing the robot for several quarters and recently deployed the technology in locations in California.
The move will allow Serve to start working within restaurants and expand its scope in the restaurant sector – which it currently only serves through its sidewalk robots that deliver food for Uber Eats.
The company also plans to sign on more partners as it builds on the Autocado technology.
“We will definitely be looking to partner with more customers (restaurants) in the future,” Serve CEO Ali Kashani said in an interview, adding that the company was targeting becoming a “one-stop shop” for restaurant automation tech.
Serve will also more than double the number of restaurants it serves to 750 locations by the end of this year, Kashani said, with its new-generation delivery robot helping the company scale faster than expectations.
Serve did not disclose any financial details related to the Vebu deal.
(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
