Panera testing coffee robot

Panera Bread is the first brand to test CookRight Coffee, created by Miso Robotics, the company behind Flippy, a burger-flipping robot.

CookRight Coffee, an AI-powered system that monitors coffee metrics such as volume, temperature and time data, provides predictive analytics to guarantee a quality cup of coffee and a more efficient team member experience, according to a company press release.

“Panera has a long history of tech innovation in service of meeting the needs of our guests and associates when they walk through our doors each day,” George Hanson, SVP and chief digital officer at Panera, said in the release. “CookRight Coffee is a game-changer when it comes to convenience and operational efficiency, and we are extremely excited to take our coffee station into the future with Miso Robotics.”

At Panera, the system is designed to improve the coffee monitoring process, eliminating the need for manual checks of the coffee urns and providing easy and accurate insights into coffee volume and temperature. It will allow Panera associates to brew a batch at precisely the right time, supporting the chain’s Unlimited Sip Club membership, which allows subscribers to drink unlimited coffee and tea for $8.99 per month.

“In order to meet the needs of the rapidly evolving restaurant industry, we want our products to come to market quickly and maintain a high level of flexibility,” Mike Bell, Miso Robotics CEO, said in the release. “When we announced the CookRight platform in 2021, we knew we could apply it to various stations at a restaurant as the product developed, and we saw an immediate need for it at the coffee station. We are thrilled that Panera shares in our vision to revamp the coffee monitoring process, and can’t wait for CookRight Coffee to be installed at their restaurants to help customers and team members alike.”

Miso Robotics is primarily funded by individual investors. With over 18,000 shareholders, it has raised over $50 million in crowdfunding and is in its Series E round, which kicked off with a market valuation of $500 million.

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