Chipotle Mexican Grill is evaluating an automatous robot to prepare and cook tortilla chips.  The robot designed and manufactured by Miso Robotics applies artificial intelligence to combine corn flour, water and sunflower oil to cook tortilla chips complete with seasoning including salt and lime juice. Chipotle believe that the robot termed "Chippy" is capable of reproducing the texture and flavor of hand-prepared tortilla chips.

The initiative if successful will allow line workers to prepare more complicated dishes and tasks that require a higher degree of dexterity and human initiative.

As with other QSRs, Chipotle has established an innovation hub to develop technology that can eventually reduce labor cost by replacing manual workers.  It is understood that most of the QSRs are currently considering various forms of robotics with a "Flippy" robot shown to be capable of cooking beef patties.  The problem with robotic installations is their apparent incompatibility with humans in preparation lines negating the inherent advantages of speed and consistency associated with robotic repetitive operation.