I tried a $7 burger made in minutes by a robotic vending machine. It tasted average, but I still think it could be the future of fast food.

Brittany ChangApr 24, 2022, 18:42 IST

Brittany Chang/Insider

A New Jersey-based startup has created the "world's first burger robot in a box."
The Roboburger vending machine can prepare fresh burgers in about six minutes for $7.

If you're an impatient burger connoisseur who hates small talk and people touching your food, I have the perfect concept for your specific needs.

Brittany Chang/Insider

There's a new burger startup in town, but it's not the classic brick and mortar restaurant with cashiers and cooks.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Instead, it's Roboburger, a robot burger maker inside box.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And unlike the typical mall vending machine that dispenses prepackaged snacks and drinks, the Roboburger promises fresh and simple $7 burgers made within minutes.

Brittany Chang/Insider

"We're not trying to do too much — just make a perfect, simple burger like what you get off your backyard barbecue," Andy Siegel, the CMO, told Insider.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Roboburger started out as a concept inside the garage of Audley Wilson, the company's co-founder and CEO, 17 years ago.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And now, it's the "world's first robot burger chef" located inside the Newport Centre mall in Jersey City, New Jersey, about a 10 minute drive from New York City.

Brittany Chang/Insider

I visited Roboburger one Wednesday afternoon in search of a filling and convenient lunch …

Brittany Chang/Insider

… and while I was wowed by the novelty kitchen concept, I thought the burger was just okay.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The Roboburger isn't a giant robot arm that slings a spatula while it flips beef patties.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Instead, all of the burger-making magic happens inside the closed doors of the roughly seven-foot-tall vending machine.

Brittany Chang/Insider

As I stood by the plug-and-play Roboburger, I noticed that it consistently drew in onlookers with its bright red exterior, the smell of cooked meat, large touchscreen, and promise of a fresh burger made by a robot.

Brittany Chang/Insider

As I stood by the plug-and-play Roboburger, I noticed that it consistently drew in onlookers with its bright red exterior, the smell of cooked meat, large touchscreen, and promise of a fresh burger made by a robot.

Almost every other person walking by the Roboburger stared at the machine in passing or lingered around long enough to understand its purpose.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Think of the Roboburger as a functioning kitchen inside of a vending machine.

Brittany Chang/Insider

There's a freezer that stores 50 beef patties, a dishwasher, and all the automated cooking systems needed to make a perfectly charred and dressed burger.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Using the touch screen, hungry customers can order a standard Roboburger with all the accouterments …

Brittany Chang/Insider

… or select their preferred condiments, which include mustard, ketchup, and melted cheese.

Brittany Chang/Insider

No matter the condiments, the burger will come out to $7.55 after tax.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Instead of a cash register, there's a digital pad that accepts card or contactless payments.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The Roboburger then follows all the typical burger cooking steps.

Brittany Chang/Insider

After I ordered my burger with all the fixings, all I had to do was stand back, entertain myself with the animations on the touchscreen, and wait a few minutes.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And while I lingered around, the Roboburger was hard at work.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Its griddle system cooks both sides of the patty simultaneously, toasts the bun …

Roboburger

… dispenses the mustard, ketchup, and melted cheddar cheese …

Roboburger

… and assembles and boxes the burger, delivering a perfectly packaged burger to its hungry customer (me).

Brittany Chang/Insider

The machine, certified by the National Sanitary Foundation, then cleans its own griddle with hot high pressured water to guarantee a clean and fresh burger for every order.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The machine, certified by the National Sanitary Foundation, then cleans its own griddle with hot high pressured water to guarantee a clean and fresh burger for every order.

It's a completely contactless experience. But a Roboburger employee still needs to interact with the machine about every other day to replace the used water and refill the inventory.

Brittany Chang/Insider

It's a completely contactless experience. But a Roboburger employee still needs to interact with the machine about every other day to replace the used water and refill the inventory.

The startup is also working on an app that will allow customers to pre-order Roboburgers and pick up their meals using a QR code.

Brittany Chang/Insider

As for the actual taste, Siegel was pretty spot on when he described the Roboburger as the kind of burger you'd get at a backyard barbecue.

Brittany Chang/Insider

It's simple, piping hot, covered in warm gooey cheese, and devoid of any fresh vegetables.

Brittany Chang/Insider

"When you taste the burger, you'll find out that as exciting as the tech is and as amazing as the convenience is, it's a better burger," Siegel said. "And that's what people are gonna really know us for."

Brittany Chang/Insider

"When you taste the burger, you'll find out that as exciting as the tech is and as amazing as the convenience is, it's a better burger," Siegel said. "And that's what people are gonna really know us for."

The thin beef patty had a good char on it and the warm pool of melted cheese added some much-needed salt and moisture …

Brittany Chang/Insider

… although most of the cheese ended up on the box instead of on the hamburger patty.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The misplaced cheese, while delicious, made for a messy eating experience.

Brittany Chang/Insider

I ended up dipping my burger into the cheese puddle.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The pool of sweet Heinz ketchup and mustard added the necessary contrasting sweet and tangy notes, and the lightly toasted bun was soft but still a good vessel for a burger.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The pool of sweet Heinz ketchup and mustard added the necessary contrasting sweet and tangy notes, and the lightly toasted bun was soft but still a good vessel for a burger.

Overall, it was a perfectly average meal, maybe a bit underwhelming given its origin story.

Brittany Chang/Insider

While Roboburger's tech has the potential to revolutionize the foodservice industry, I didn't find the hamburger itself to be life-changing in any way.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But at the end of the day, it delivers exactly what it promises: a fresh burger made by a robot.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And I still inhaled the whole burger in just a couple of minutes.

Brittany Chang/Insider

In the future, the Roboburger could start cooking up breakfast sandwiches with fresh eggs, plant-based burgers, and a "full restaurant experience," Siegel said.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But for now, it's focused on tackling the multibillion-dollar burger industry and bringing its robot burger maker to locations like employee break rooms, college dorms, and hospitals.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But for now, it's focused on tackling the multibillion-dollar burger industry and bringing its robot burger maker to locations like employee break rooms, college dorms, and hospitals.

In the coming weeks, the machine will begin operating around the clock, a move that'll service gig workers and people working late-night shifts.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And within this year, Roboburger will begin rolling out in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami, Siegel said.

Brittany Chang/Insider

It's also planning a future "storefront takeover" to create a temporary robot-run restaurant.

Brittany Chang/Insider

And in the future, you might be able to buy a smaller Roboburger for your home so you'll never have to flip your own burgers again.

Brittany Chang/Insider

"Distributed robotic food tech is just in its infancy," Siegel said. "The application is just going to grow."

Brittany Chang/Insider

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I tried a $7 burger made in minutes by a robotic vending machine. It tasted average, but I still think it could be the future of fast food.

If you're an impatient burger connoisseur who hates small talk and people touching your food, I have the perfect concept for your specific needs.

There's a new burger startup in town, but it's not the classic brick and mortar restaurant with cashiers and cooks.

Instead, it's Roboburger, a robot burger maker inside box.

And unlike the typical mall vending machine that dispenses prepackaged snacks and drinks, the Roboburger promises fresh and simple $7 burgers made within minutes.

"We're not trying to do too much — just make a perfect, simple burger like what you get off your backyard barbecue," Andy Siegel, the CMO, told Insider.

Roboburger started out as a concept inside the garage of Audley Wilson, the company's co-founder and CEO, 17 years ago.

And now, it's the "world's first robot burger chef" located inside the Newport Centre mall in Jersey City, New Jersey, about a 10 minute drive from New York City.

I visited Roboburger one Wednesday afternoon in search of a filling and convenient lunch …

… and while I was wowed by the novelty kitchen concept, I thought the burger was just okay.

The Roboburger isn't a giant robot arm that slings a spatula while it flips beef patties.

Instead, all of the burger-making magic happens inside the closed doors of the roughly seven-foot-tall vending machine.

As I stood by the plug-and-play Roboburger, I noticed that it consistently drew in onlookers with its bright red exterior, the smell of cooked meat, large touchscreen, and promise of a fresh burger made by a robot.

Almost every other person walking by the Roboburger stared at the machine in passing or lingered around long enough to understand its purpose.

Think of the Roboburger as a functioning kitchen inside of a vending machine.

There's a freezer that stores 50 beef patties, a dishwasher, and all the automated cooking systems needed to make a perfectly charred and dressed burger.

Using the touch screen, hungry customers can order a standard Roboburger with all the accouterments …

… or select their preferred condiments, which include mustard, ketchup, and melted cheese.

No matter the condiments, the burger will come out to $7.55 after tax.

Instead of a cash register, there's a digital pad that accepts card or contactless payments.

The Roboburger then follows all the typical burger cooking steps.

After I ordered my burger with all the fixings, all I had to do was stand back, entertain myself with the animations on the touchscreen, and wait a few minutes.

And while I lingered around, the Roboburger was hard at work.

Its griddle system cooks both sides of the patty simultaneously, toasts the bun …

… dispenses the mustard, ketchup, and melted cheddar cheese …

… and assembles and boxes the burger, delivering a perfectly packaged burger to its hungry customer (me).

The machine, certified by the National Sanitary Foundation, then cleans its own griddle with hot high pressured water to guarantee a clean and fresh burger for every order.

It's a completely contactless experience. But a Roboburger employee still needs to interact with the machine about every other day to replace the used water and refill the inventory.

The startup is also working on an app that will allow customers to pre-order Roboburgers and pick up their meals using a QR code.

As for the actual taste, Siegel was pretty spot on when he described the Roboburger as the kind of burger you'd get at a backyard barbecue.

It's simple, piping hot, covered in warm gooey cheese, and devoid of any fresh vegetables.

"When you taste the burger, you'll find out that as exciting as the tech is and as amazing as the convenience is, it's a better burger," Siegel said. "And that's what people are gonna really know us for."

The thin beef patty had a good char on it and the warm pool of melted cheese added some much-needed salt and moisture …

… although most of the cheese ended up on the box instead of on the hamburger patty.

The misplaced cheese, while delicious, made for a messy eating experience.

I ended up dipping my burger into the cheese puddle.

The pool of sweet Heinz ketchup and mustard added the necessary contrasting sweet and tangy notes, and the lightly toasted bun was soft but still a good vessel for a burger.

Overall, it was a perfectly average meal, maybe a bit underwhelming given its origin story.

While Roboburger's tech has the potential to revolutionize the foodservice industry, I didn't find the hamburger itself to be life-changing in any way.

But at the end of the day, it delivers exactly what it promises: a fresh burger made by a robot.

And I still inhaled the whole burger in just a couple of minutes.

In the future, the Roboburger could start cooking up breakfast sandwiches with fresh eggs, plant-based burgers, and a "full restaurant experience," Siegel said.

But for now, it's focused on tackling the multibillion-dollar burger industry and bringing its robot burger maker to locations like employee break rooms, college dorms, and hospitals.

In the coming weeks, the machine will begin operating around the clock, a move that'll service gig workers and people working late-night shifts.

And within this year, Roboburger will begin rolling out in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami, Siegel said.

It's also planning a future "storefront takeover" to create a temporary robot-run restaurant.

And in the future, you might be able to buy a smaller Roboburger for your home so you'll never have to flip your own burgers again.

"Distributed robotic food tech is just in its infancy," Siegel said. "The application is just going to grow."