5 tech things: Chipotle invests in high-tech farming solutions

In this special edition of its 5 Things series, Food Management highlights five recent technology-related developments affecting the foodservice world.

Here’s your list for today:

 1.    Chipotle invests in high-tech farming solutions

Chipotle Mexican Grill is investing in Greenfield Robotics—a company founded with the vision of making regenerative farming more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable by leveraging the latest advances in AI, robotics, and sensing technologies—and Nitricity, a company seeking to tackle greenhouse gas emissions by creating fertilizer products that are better for fields, farmers, and the environment. These minority investments are being made through Chipotle's $50 million Cultivate Next venture fund, which makes early-stage investments into strategically aligned companies that further Chipotle's mission to Cultivate a Better World and help accelerate the company's aggressive growth plans.

Read more: Chipotle Invests in Agricultural Robots and Climate-Smart Fertilizer to Improve the Future of Farming

2.    Robots deliver food and packages through mile-long subterranean tunnel

Peachtree Corners in Georgia is the first community to test out a subterranean package delivery system in which delivery robots travel back and forth within a one-mile-long tunnel, transporting items such as food, packages, groceries and household goods faster when compared to normal delivery, according to Pipedream Labs, the company that is operating the system. For now, the system connects a busy shopping center to a 25,000-sq.-ft. smart city innovation center, so employees can test the on-demand delivery during their lunch hours.

Related:5 things: Grocery and restaurant aggregators push for corporate snack and meal business

Read more: Atlanta suburb becomes first to test underground consumer delivery system

3.    Sodexo to open UK’s first automated food court for healthcare

Sodexo is set to open the UK's first automated food court for healthcare workers in Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent. The contract caterer has partnered with payments services provider Worldline and foodservice solutions firm SV365 Technologies to launch 24/7 Deli, which offers cashless self-service kiosks for staff, patients and visitors.

Read more: Sodexo to launch UK's first automated food court for healthcare

4.    Senate cafeteria goes to kiosk ordering

Major changes hit the Dirksen Cafeteria and Senate Carryout in the U.S. Capitol in Washington in the form of a new touchscreen kiosk ordering system and self-serve pay-by-weight for entrees and side dishes, replacing the previous system in which customers ordered from food service workers who filled their orders. Cafeteria workers are no longer allowed to take orders, even from their regular customers, and instead are directing patrons across the hallway to order from the machine.

Related:5 things: House passes bill allowing whole milk in schools

Read more: Senators get more impatient with ‘secret’ border-Ukraine talks

5.    AI-powered vending machine dispenses free beer, but only to guitar heroes

New Zealand brewery Panhead Custom Ales has created a beer vending machine that will dole out free cans of beer to adults—but only if they can prove that they have musical prowess on the guitar. The Slay to Pay machine set up in Wellington has artificial intelligence to evaluate a guitarist's ability to play, and in real-time, performers are rewarded with beer. The beer vending machine, which functions like Guitar Hero for adults, made its debut at the Panhead Rolling Stone Music Awards, where it judged some of the top guitarists in the country.

Read more: AI Beer Vending Machines

Bonus: Top 12 technology stories of 2023

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]