

The future of food? (via Facebook)

The automated restaurant is a concept that has yet to fully take off in America (see: an early attempt with the Motormat ), but a more modern crack at it will show up in Los Angeles soon.

Eater LA reports that Eatsa, a European-style automat, is set to debut in The Village at Westfield Topanga and will be slinging quinoa bowls you can grab from the wall when they're ready. "Somehow, as a people, we have brought this upon ourselves," said our friends at SFist said ahead of the opening of Eatsa's flagship location in San Francisco's Financial District.

Despite the existential dilemma that the impersonal quinoa bowl experience might give us as a species, it apparently has been a big enough hit to expand to a second location in SF and obviously down here. Patrons can either order their food from iPads at the site or through their phones and pick it up from the cubby when its ready. "It's pure magic," says Eatsa's site.

If you're still a little confused as to how this works, TechCrunch paid them a visit:

You'd think that the automation of food service would be designed to eliminate the inconvenience of waiting—key in the hustle and bustle of Our Modern World. But apparently the novelty of "robot food" was so alluring that lines went down the block when it first opened. Behold:



Line for robot food ! #sf #eatsa A photo posted by Sorob Louie (@soroblouie) on Sep 2, 2015 at 12:44pm PDT

Those techies up north sure seem to enjoy their food without any of the inconvenience that it usually comes with, though at least this appears to be actually food, unlike Soylent.

Oh, speaking of food, their menu staples are $7 vegetarian bowls that use quinoa as a base. Variations on it include the burrito bowl (Mexican-style with guac, "asada" portobello, and pinto beans), bento box (Asian-fusion with edamame, teriyaki sauce, miso portobello, and apple cabbage slaw), and The Big Chop (chopped salad style with pecans, blue cheese, and ranch dressing). As weird as this whole concept seems, people seem to actually be enjoying the food.

Eatsa is scheduled to open at The Village at Westfield Topanga in December.