Serve Robotics has announced plans to acquire Vebu, a company specializing in robots for the restaurant industry. The all-stock transaction aims to expand Serve’s service portfolio beyond autonomous delivery into kitchen automation, offering restaurants a more extensive set of automation tools to address labor shortages and enhance operational efficiency. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the acquisition is contingent upon standard closing conditions.
Vebu’s product, the Autocado, is an automated avocado-processing machine currently undergoing pilot testing in a Chipotle restaurant in Huntington Beach, California. This machine allows employees to load avocados into the device for automated cutting, coring, and scooping, freeing up staff to focus on other tasks. With this acquisition, Serve plans to leverage Vebu’s technology to deepen its automation offerings in the restaurant sector, aiming to enhance the end-to-end efficiency of operations from kitchens to customer delivery.
By integrating Vebu’s kitchen automation with Serve’s existing delivery capabilities, the acquisition is intended to expand Serve’s market reach, allowing it to address a wider range of restaurant operational needs. The integration also complements Serve’s recent partnership with Wing Aviation, which extended its delivery solutions across all distances, making Serve one of the broadest automation providers in the industry. Vebu’s partnerships, including its collaboration with Chipotle, will also provide Serve with new relationship opportunities, adding to Serve’s client base that includes Shake Shack and 7-Eleven.
Following the acquisition, Vebu’s founder and CEO, Buck Jordan, will join Serve Robotics as Senior Vice President of Kitchen Automation. Jordan, known for founding Miso Robotics, will continue to lead the Vebu team, focusing on further development of the Autocado and other kitchen automation products. His expertise in kitchen robotics is expected to reinforce Serve’s ability to meet automation demands within the restaurant industry.
Serve’s CEO, Dr. Ali Kashani, stated that the acquisition aligns with the company’s mission to assist restaurant partners in improving operational efficiency through robotics and AI. Jordan, in his remarks, expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity to integrate Vebu’s technology with Serve’s offerings, highlighting the potential for the combined efforts to drive forward restaurant automation on a larger scale.
Upon completion of the transaction, Serve does not anticipate needing additional financing to support the acquisition and intends to continue the Chipotle pilot without disruption. This acquisition aligns with Serve’s broader strategy to become a comprehensive provider of automation solutions within the restaurant sector.
Serve Robotics, originally a spinoff from Uber, is known for its AI-driven, low-emission delivery robots and has completed numerous deliveries for partners such as Uber Eats and 7-Eleven. The company recently secured a contract to deploy up to 2,000 delivery robots across U.S. markets through the Uber Eats platform.
