Less Robots, More Meat: Chipotle Founder’s Big Pivot

Less Robots, More Meat: Chipotle Founder’s Big Pivot

Just over a year ago, Steve Ells, the founder of Chipotle, opened Kernel in New York City—a vegan restaurant concept featuring a large robotic arm in the kitchen to assist in food preparation. Given Ells’s pedigree, Kernel received significant attention from news outlets, with many speculating whether it represented the beginning of widespread robotics adoption in restaurants. However, this speculation was short-lived. A year later, Kernel close…