Already deep in the world of security and self-driving cars, artificial intelligence is now coming to your local juice bar.
Icelandic yogurt brand, Thor's Skyr, has partnered with Blendid, a startup that makes automated food machines, to build the fully-automated and contact-less smoothie bar through the use of machine learning and AI.
The kiosk dubbed "Thor's Skyr by Blendid" debuted inside Escondido's LA Fitness on Friday.
How it works
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Patrons can customize an order anytime through the Blendid App and of course, in person. The digital menu displays a feature that allows the smoothies to have more or less of an item by using a handy slider on the screen. It can churn out 45 smoothies per hour!
In addition to getting a fresh smoothie at the kiosk, customers can also schedule a pick-up time by using the app. The kiosk will then keep the smoothie stored away in a safe spot away from other customers.
Aside from being made without human hands, the smoothies are different in that they use an American-made skyr, which is a special yogurt using Icelandic methods developed over 1,000 years. Skyr is becoming a popular option due to its higher protein content and creamy texture. Thor's Skyr is uniquely sugar and lactose-free, while skyr generally contains some sugar and lactose.
Local
“In Iceland, there are skyr bars everywhere and it’s not just for gym goers or fitness fanatics,” said Unnar Beck Danielsson, one of the co-founders of Thor’s Skyr, who was in Escondido for the launch.
“It is a Icelandic product, basically from the Viking times. It takes five times more milk to produce one cup of skyr than one cup of yogurt," said Danielsson.
And when it comes to why a robot over human hands, Vipin Jain, Blendid CEO and co-founder says it's not always easy to hire labor to work in food service.
"It’s very hard to hire labor to work in food service. "There are 11 million vacancies in food service in the U.S. Unemployment rate of 3.7%. How do you hire people and retain people to work in food service? And the costs are through the roof. This is the only way to make healthy and delicious food affordable and available 24/7," Jain said.
A visit from the World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, interrupted his training for the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic for a live video Q&A session with the first visitors to the "Thor's Skyr by Blendid" kiosk.
Thor’s Skyr was founded by actors Bjornsson, Terry Crews and Dylan Sprouse, along with Icelandic entrepreneur and restaurant veteran Danielsson.
If Bjornsson sounds familiar, he played The Mountain on HBO's "Game of Thrones" for several seasons.
Location and hours
The Escondido LA Fitness is located at 362 West El Norte Pkwy. and the kiosk is open anytime the gym is. Plus, the kiosk is open to non-gym members too.
The smoothies cost between $8 and $10.
“As we continue our mission to make healthier food and beverage options easily accessible, we are giving health clubs a way to offer quick, fresh and nutritious food options at all hours, without adding to their staffing and operational demands,” said Vipin Jain, CEO and co-founder of Blendid.
