Chipotle’s Founder Is Betting on Plant-Forward Food

A new plant-forward fast-casual restaurant concept has opened in midtown Manhattan, brought to you by Steve Ells, founder and former executive chairman of the fast casual chain, Chipotle. This first spot is the only location for now, though a $36 million investment from tech companies and other private investment aims to expand their commercial footprint to 15 shops  in New York City over the next two years.

Kernel is not vegan — some dishes contain egg or dairy or both, and there’s a chicken sandwich on the menu — but the rest of the menu features mostly plants. Although vegetarian options at fast food chains have been around for years now, Kernel’s decision to go mostly meat-free reflects Ells’ bet on people wanting more plant-forward meals. “I think people will eat more plant-based diets and make that part of their life if there are better options,” Ells said on the “How I Built This,” podcast. Kernel is Ells’s first food industry venture since resigning from Chipotle in 2020. Investors pushed for a leadership change after a series of foodborne illness outbreaks were linked to food served at Chipotle.

Robot Lunch

Another feature that makes Kernel different from all the other lunch spots in midtown where businesspeople fill up before returning to work, is that at Kernel, you pick up your order at a cubby, without having to take off your headphones to interact with staff, because at Kernel, work is mostly done by robots. “We’ve taken a lot of human interaction out and left just enough,” Ells told The Wall Street Journal.

Each Kernel will have three human workers, in contrast with the dozen and up who work in most fast-food restaurants. The fewer humans, the more they can get paid, including holidays. “It’s really reinventing this ’McJob’ that excites me so much, because in the industry now, we’re seeing 150 percent annualized turnover in these positions,” said Ells to Axios.

Eventually the kitchen staff will all be robot-powered, while for now, prep work happens at an offsite location. A robotic arm with a custom hand grip, developed by German manufacturer Kuka, helps prepare items that are assembled by workers. The robots are there to increase efficiency and reduce human error — part of a larger trend by spearheaded fast food restaurants like Wendy’s and Sweetgreen looking to automate their processes. Kernel’s plan is to license the robotic technology to other restaurants.

Plant Forward Fast Food Is Here to Stay

The menu at Kernel was designed by chef Andrew Black, an alum of Eleven Madison Park, one of the most exclusive vegan restaurants in New York City. The menu features a range of plant-forward options, including a veggie burger, a falafel sandwich and vegetable sides like crispy potatoes and crunchy cucumbers. For dessert, there are chocolate chunk and oatmeal raisin cookies.

This piece has been updated to reflect that Kernel appears to have replaced its plant-based chicken sandwich with a poultry-sourced chicken sandwich.