CaliExpress by Flippy — Restaurant in Pasadena

I visited on April 1st, 2024, which was the day it opened, according to the web page. However, I believe they have been at this location for months now, but just not open to the public? What they have been doing all those months is not evident as the whole experience is disappointing, from both a robotic experience, and a fast-food burger experience.

My cheeseburger was so cold that the cheese just sat on top completely unmelted. The bun was dry and too large, putting the bun to meat ratio too high. The fries were okay, but they had an unusual orange color to them.

The robots are responsible for cooking the beef patties and cooking the French fries. Humans (actually, just one human when I was there) are responsible for placing the fries into packaging, building and dressing the burgers and bagging the order (and yelling your name out as loud as possible). I would have liked to see more robots involved in the process, especially considering that is the main draw to this place (it most certainly won’t be the food).

Ironically, parts of the process that have long been automated and still manually done here. For example, the human has a line of paper printed order tickets that he is looking at to know how to build the burgers. They yell out your name when your order is completed. Surely, these are the low hanging fruits of automation in fast-food that have already been worked out by many others in the industry.

It was not busy at all, with only a handful of customers milling about the lobby area, which is more of a museum of robot tech than it is a place to sit down and eat. The smell of grilled beef permeated the air and was not appealing. There needs to be better air circulation so that the greasy smell doesn’t linger in the lobby. The order took an inordinate amount of time to complete, and given that the burger was cold, this needs to be rectified in the future.

One robot machine apparently grinds the meat, makes a burger patty and cooks it. The cooked meat is then deposited into a stainless-steel pan. There is nothing keeping it warm at this point. The human, at some undefined point, collects the meat and makes a burger out of it. I would have preferred the hot cooked meat placed onto a toasted bun directly so that the bun can absorb all those flavorful fats and yumminess. All of that is lost here as the burger patty is allowed to cool and re-congeal into a cold solid mass.

What I WOULD HAVE liked to see is a line of robots doing various different things, viewable to the public like the donut conveyer belt at Krispy Kreme. One robot chops the onions and drops them onto the burger as it goes by, for example. Each robot's action dictated by the customer's order. As the customer, I can follow the process as SEE my burger being made in front of my eyes. Given that the main draw here is robotics, and the fact that they have been working on this for months, I am very disappointed...

Interesting… this is my first time here. At the height of lunch rush, and I was the only customer. When I placed my order at the kiosk, I saw no one at the counter. I wasn’t going to tip a robot, I didn’t know how it worked. The only “human” came out shortly after I placed my order. She very nice and did most of the work. Flippy, the robot was an arm that picked up fries, dumped them in the oil, and then fell asleep and did nothing. At first I didn’t notice the great box labeled Burgerbot, and wondered when Flippy was going to wake up and throw a burger on a grill. Flippy finally woke up, and flung the fries onto a cardboard plate held by the human. The nice human, wearing gloves, then took half of the bun to the Burgerbot square, and the patty was dropped on the bun that the human held under a white arm assembly thing. The human assembled the burger, and put on the condiments. She said I could sit down and the robot would bring me my meal. The robot, which was a several tiered tray with a rectangular screen for a face found me and delivered my burger and fries. No great feat as I was the only person in the restaurant, I asked the robot where my drink was, but the robot could not speak, or understand and left the table. I asked the human about my drink, and was told to get it myself out of the refrigerator. That’s fine but the robot should have delivered it. It’s now 12:37, and a man just walked in to pick up a to go order. He must have been here before because he knew to get his drink from the fridge. I don’t think this place will last, sadly, and I won’t be coming back. Fries were a bit salty for my taste, and the burger was ok. Like I said, the human did her part, but probably would have done a better job...

CaliExpress by Flippy is revolutionizing the fast-food industry with its innovative use of robotics and fresh ingredients. This establishment offers a unique dining experience where technology and culinary arts merge to create delicious meals. The wagyu blend burgers, ground in real-time, are a testament to the quality and freshness CaliExpress strives for. With a health score of 93 out of 100, it's clear that this restaurant doesn't just prioritize efficiency but also the well-being of its customers. The blend of automation and human touch ensures that each burger is cooked to perfection and served with care. Whether you're in it for the novelty of robotic chefs or the premium quality food, CaliExpress by Flippy is a must-visit spot for anyone looking for a glimpse into the...