Freebirds and Now Cuisine partner to develop robotic kiosks to serve hot meals

Restaurant technology developer Now Cuisine and the Freebirds burrito company are partnering to build robotic kiosks that serve hot meals.

Now Cuisine and Freebirds World Burrito say the pilot program will be available at new locations throughout the Dallas area using Now Cuisine’s robotic Takeout Stations.

Now Cuisine’s Takeout Stations are compact, fully-automated, AI-enabled kiosks that can be placed nearly anywhere to serve freshly made-to-order hot meals in minutes, 24/7. Freebirds has issued a purchase order to Now Cuisine which will allow its food to be served in multiple Takeout Stations in Texas as part of the pilot.

Adam Lloyd Cohen, Cuisine founder and CEO, says: “Forward thinking leaders and companies like Alex and Freebirds are experimenting with technology to bring their great food much closer to the people they serve, making it more convenient to eat a delicious hot meal wherever one happens to be, any time of day or night.”

Restaurant-branded Takeout Stations will likely initially be placed in multifamily and office buildings, with plans to later expand to college campuses, airports, hotels, and other locations.

Alex Eagle, CEO for Freebirds World Burrito added, “We’re continuing to invest in new technologies that give people the option to have Freebirds’ craveable bowls whenever and wherever they want them. It’s just cool that a Texas-based AI and robotics company can help a Texas-based burrito company expand in ways we could only imagine just a few years ago.”

As part of the partnership, Eagle is joining Now Cuisine’s advisory board, where he will provide strategic guidance on marketing Now Cuisine and expanding operations throughout Texas.

Now Cuisine is bringing to market a new category of foodservice that addresses the fundamental mismatch between the distribution of people (who are nearly everywhere) and that of restaurants (which tend to be clustered, for example, in retail locations).

The result is that enjoying a good meal – if it’s available at all – too often requires people take the time to travel to a restaurant or pay extra for someone to make the trip for them.

Now Cuisine says it is seeking to democratize access to delicious, healthy, affordable food, making it ubiquitous and always nearby: wherever people live, work, and play.

Through a connected network of Takeout Stations, Now Cuisine is working to “improve nutrition, shrink food deserts, save time, and reduce waste, traffic, and emissions”.

The partnership with Now Cuisine is just one of many investments in technology that is fueling Freebirds’ dynamic growth. Freebirds recently announced a new partnership Qu unified omnichannel ordering platform to integrate a wide range of systems and give guests Freebirds meals faster and at more locations.