The robot invasion has begun. Yesterday, a fully automated barista made its debut in the food court on the ground floor of the Metreon.

Created by Cafe X, the robotic arm (whose nickname is "Gordon") is set in a glass kiosk with three payment stations, from which customers can order and purchase their drinks. It also takes orders via a custom app.

Product specialist Aleksander Afanasyev told us that Cafe X collaborated with AKA Coffee in Oakland, Verve Coffee Roasters in Santa Cruz, and Peet's Coffee in Berkeley to make sure the machine's coffee quality was up to par.

“Our partners come in and fine-tune the machine," says Afanasyev, looking at everything "from the coffee grind to the milk settings to how hot the foam should be.”

When ordering, customers can select their preferred coffee (each of the three partners has one roast type available), as well as customizations like milk type and syrups.

After ordering via the app, customers are given a PIN number; from there, the robot makes the drink in about 10 seconds. Once the PIN number is entered, the bot sends down the correct order through a futuristic-looking slot.



Cafe X's menu.

The robo-barista has been in the works since 2014, and its prototype was launched in 2016 in Hong Kong. Afanasyev says its mission is to reduce the stress of ordering coffee at a traditional coffee shop, by increasing "the convenience and the speed at which you’re able to get your coffee drink."

Cafe X's lattes and americanos are significantly cheaper than drinks at an independent coffee shop, or even Starbucks—nothing is over $3. The lower price tag is likely indicative of the savings accrued by not having to pay any human baristas or cashiers.

But Afanasyev hasn't had any pushback so far, he says. "There's always gonna be that initial fear for a techno-panic, but we’re not trying to replace anybody—we’re not trying to take any jobs. We’re actually creating jobs."

He notes that the cafe has undergone all the standard city-regulated health inspections required by food kiosks, and also has a Metreon-based commissary that employs people.



Cafe X isn't the only local spot relying on automation to get food and drink to customers. Quinoa-bowl chain Eatsa, which has two downtown locations, has largely removed employees from the ordering process, with customers ordering through touch screens and picking up their food from designated cubbies.

And robotics company Momentum Machines is still plotting a SoMa restaurant at 680 Folsom St., which will serve burgers and other food made entirely by machines.

Cafe X is located on the ground floor of the Metreon, near the AMC ticket kiosk. Its hours are daily from 10:30am-8:30pm—because even Gordon needs a break every once and a while.

