Spyce

"Temporary closure: Robotic restaurant Spyce is now officially temporarily closed for renovations, with plans to reopen around when its new Harvard Square sibling opens." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal

"Spyce is a fast-casual restaurant in Boston’s Downtown Crossing that serves food mostly prepared by robots. The restaurant recently secured $21 million in Series A funding. Spyce opened in May 2018 and offers an experience that requires customers to interact with technology from ordering to receiving their meal. The meals are offered at a relatively low price of $7.50 each. The company aims to increase access to wholesome and delicious food for people at all income levels." - Terrence Doyle

"Precision, taste and consistency: that’s what you’ll find coming out of the robotic kitchen at Spyce, now open for business on 241 Washington Street in Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood. This fast-casual concept and glimpse of the future is the brainchild of Kale Rogers, Michael Farid, Brady Knight and Luke Schlueter; the former MIT students grew hungry for nutritional yet affordable meals that would suit their water polo diets and beyond. Calling themselves “robotics-obsessed,” the engineers developed a self-sustaining kitchen prototype in the basement of their fraternity house. Knowing this could be an industry game-changer, Farid, the company’s CEO, tapped into an industry vet—by guessing the correct email address on the first try—Daniel Boulud. Boulud became enamored with the email pitch and ultra-modern robot kitchen. He signed on as both an investor and culinary director, and summoned Café Boulud alum Sam Benson to lead the team as executive chef. Benson brings both old-world French techniques and corporate cooking experience at Chipotle to Spyce, highlighting “appropriately sourced” ingredients. Upon entering Spyce, a “guide” will help you peruse the bowl-based menu; everything is customizable, including the ability to suit vegan and gluten-free diners, and has a starting price point of $7.50. Bowls include the “Beet” featuring beets, carrots, sautéed kale, freekeh, tomato-cucumber salad, sunflower seeds and goat cheese, and “Thai” with roasted chicken, sweet potatoes and bok choy in a Massaman curry sauce with brown rice. Once an item is selected, that's when the fun begins: the seven wok robotic station uses volumetric dispensers to portion out the correct number of ingredients for each bowl. The woks heat via induction, and constantly tumble the food for an even sear and proper temperature before pouring it into a bowl. To ensure consistency, as well as beautiful plating, bowls are finished via the employee-driven garde manger station; everything from start to finish takes three minutes or less." - Abbe Baker

"Spyce is a fast-casual restaurant concept in Boston, founded by four MIT graduates and supported by renowned chefs. The restaurant features a robotic kitchen that ensures precision, taste, and consistency. It offers customizable bowl-based menus with options for vegan and gluten-free diets, starting at $7.50. The robotic kitchen uses volumetric dispensers and induction woks to prepare meals quickly and consistently, with a finishing touch from the employee-driven garde manger station. Spyce aims to provide delicious and affordable meals and is currently focused on perfecting its first location." - Abbe Baker

"A restaurant with a robotic kitchen — designed by a group of MIT grads — that churns out customizable bowls. Acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud is an advisor on the project." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal