Restaurant Roundup: Robots Take Over Campuses, Kitchens

Funds are pouring in for automated solutions that promise to reduce labor needs at every step of the restaurant supply chain.

On the delivery side, Berkeley, California-based sidewalk delivery robotics startup Kiwibot announced in a Thursday (Feb. 17) announcement a contract expansion with food services and facilities management company Sodexo to grow its college presence to reach 50 campuses by the end of the year. With this move, the company’s fleet will reach 1,200 robots.

“The early success of our Kiwibot partnership has shown that automated delivery is not only possible and reliable, it’s desirable,” said Sodexo North America Chair Sarosh Mistry in the announcement. “…This year, more students than ever will benefit from autonomous delivery, and we’re pleased to be at the forefront of this emerging market.”

Along with this expansion, Kiwibot also that it has raised $7.5 million in a pre-Series A round with participation from Sodexo, such that the company’s total funding now amounts to $14 million.

“We have been intensely working in the robotic food delivery field for the last five years, and this funding will allow us to expand the business at the speed that the market is demanding,” Kiwibot CEO and Co-Founder Felipe Chávez Cortés commented.

Restaurant Kitchen Robotics Company Hyphen Announces $24M Series A Fundraise

Also in restaurant robotics fundraising news, Hyphen, a company that creates automated solutions for commercial kitchens, has raised $24 million in its Series A funding round, according to a Wednesday (Feb. 16) press release.

The round was led by Tiger Global and included participation from a range of industry insiders, including Steve Fredette, the co-founder and president of Toast, and Donald Moore, former chief culinary officer and executive vice president at The Cheesecake Factory. This fundraise brings the company’s total to $34.4 million.

“Amid labor shortages and increasing customer demand for takeout and delivery, restaurants need ways to increase throughput and improve efficiency,” said Griffin Schroeder, partner at lead investor Tiger Global, in the release. “Hyphen created an intuitive and reliable solution that does both.”

The company’s first product is an automated makeline that promises to make 350 meals per hour, which is slated for deployment in 2024.

Read more: Hyphen’s Restaurant Robotics Fend off Delivery Giants

Smoothie King Launches SMS-Based Ordering Pilot

As restaurants increasingly seek out ways to integrate the ordering experience into consumers’ daily routines, some brands are using conversational commerce features to remove friction from the purchasing process.

Dallas, Texas-based chain Smoothie King, which has over 1,300 locations in the United States and abroad, announced in a Monday (Feb. 14) press release the launch of a pilot test of a text-to-order platform, which allows consumers to order and pay via SMS text messaging, in Chicago and Jacksonville.

“The rollout of our text-to-order platform is just another way that our brand continues to innovate and stay one step ahead of our competition,” said Smoothie King Chief Information Officer Chris Andrews in the release. “We are the first to market in the QSR space for this feature and look forward to launching it in markets across the country throughout the year.”

New York Congressman Calls for $60B Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment

As restaurants continue to struggle with ongoing pandemic related challenges compounded by labor, supply chain and inflationary pressures, some are calling for additional federal relief.

New York Congressman Joe Morelle announced Tuesday (Feb. 15) that, in collaboration with New York State restaurant owners, he is calling for an additional $60 billion replenishment to the $28.7 billion allocated in the American Rescue Plan’s Restaurant Revitalization fund in March.

“The restaurant industry has been devastated by the pandemic, and there is a critical need for additional relief,” said Representative Morelle in a statement. “I’m calling for immediate action to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and I will continue advocating for solutions to help restaurants get through these challenging times.”

See also: National Restaurant Association Urges Congress to Replenish Relief Fund in Response to Delta Variant