A robotic salad bar prototype at downtown Naperville’s Sweetgreen was named one of the best inventions of 2023 by Time magazine.
Sweetgreen’s “Infinite Kitchen” opened at 223 S. Main St. in May. The fast-casual restaurant takes orders through computer kiosks, and meals are assembled by robots.
The creation is one of 200 inventions included on Time’s annual list.
Sweetgreen’s innovation in Naperville
Sweetgreen founders Jonathan Neman, Nicolas Jammet, and Nathaniel Ru aimed to “reimagine” fast food when they opened the company’s first location in 2007 in Washington, D.C., according to the Sweetgreen website.
In 2021, Sweetgreen purchased kitchen robotics startup Spyce. With their technology, the Naperville location can create full meals for customers in less than five minutes.
Once an order is placed, the bowl moves across a conveyor belt where greens, meats, grains, and toppings are evenly distributed. A Sweetgreen employee then adds any extras to the bowl before sending it out to the customer.
Time states that Sweetgreen’s Infinite Kitchen can create up to 500 salads and bowls per hour, 50% faster than humans.
“I’m incredibly proud of this one and the SG team’s ability to look around corners and innovate,” wrote Neman on X. “While still early in our journey, this technology will be transformative for SG and the industry.”
The fast-casual chain wants to replicate the concept across the country. According to Time, there will be a second robotic salad bar trial in Huntington Beach, CA later this year.
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