10:35 AM EDT, 09/16/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Chipotle Mexican Grill ( CMG ) said Monday it has started testing an avocado processing robot to help make guacamole and an automated production line to make bowls and salads.

The Autocado collaborative robot prototype, developed in partnership with Vebu, is operating at the company's Huntington Beach, California, restaurant to cut, peel and core avocados before they are mashed to prepare guacamole, Chipotle said, adding it takes the robot about 26 seconds to flesh out the fruit.

The Augmented Makeline, built in collaboration with foodservice platform Hyphen, is being used at the Corona del Mar, California, location to prepare bowls and salads, allowing employees to operate the top makeline for burritos, tacos and quesadillas, Chipotle added.

Chipotle said it has invested in Vebu and Hyphen through its Cultivate Next venture fund.

Chipotle shares were up more than 2% in recent trading Monday.

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