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Fast-casual restaurant chain Cava has thrown its bowl into the food-automation ring, joining a $25 million Series B funding round for Chipotle-backed Hyphen. The automation tool can build bowls from scratch, a process that Sweetgreen has already perfected.
Cava’s investment comes on the heels of a less-than-stellar Q2 earnings report, during which it downgraded same-store sales growth for the full year. Recent earnings reports from bowl-making peers like Chipotle and Sweetgreen also showed signs of slowing consumer demand.
With an automated future promising efficiencies, Hyphen is becoming a popular bet.
Cava CEO and co-founder, Brett Schulman, says the investment is not intended to replace employees. “By piloting Hyphen’s automated digital makeline, we have the opportunity to increase order accuracy and speed during peak digital hours, while reducing complexity for our team members,” Schulman said in a release.
In 2024, rival scoop shop Chipotle invested $15 million in Hyphen through its Cultivate Next venture fund.
“[Hyphen’s] use of robotics to enhance the employee and guest experience to find efficiencies in the restaurant industry aligns with our mission of leveraging emerging technology to increase access to real food,” Curt Garner, Chipotle president and chief strategy and technology officer, told Revenue Brew in an email.