Sweetgreen Sells Restaurant Robotics Arm to Wonder While Continuing Infinite Kitchen Expansion |
By Lea Mira, RTN Staff Writer – July 11, 2025
Sweet green has reportedly reached an agreement to sell its robotics subsidiary Spyce Wonder in a deal worth around $186 million. Spyce launched in 2018 and was redesigned with new technology two years later. It features an automated cooking system, a dynamic, customizable menu and in-house delivery. The sale reportedly includes $100 million in cash and another $86.4 million in Wonder preferred stock. Spyce, which Sweetgreen acquired in 2021developed the automated “Infinite Kitchen” technology used in the company’s growing number of robotic Makeline restaurants.
The transaction is intended to allow each company to focus on its strengths. Sweetgreen will continue to operate and expand its Infinite Kitchen restaurants under a long-term supply and licensing agreement, while Wonder will handle production and further research and development. CEO Jonathan Neman told analysts that Sweetgreen could buy the equipment “at cost plus about five percent,” a move he said will help reduce the cost of building future units.
For Sweetgreen, the sale eliminates the capital and operating expenses associated with running a robotics company while maintaining access to the technology underlying its automation strategy. The chain, which operates about 270 locations, currently has 20 Infinite Kitchen restaurants and plans to open 10 more by year's end. These automated units have demonstrated faster throughput, improved order accuracy and higher margins compared to traditional locations.
The sale also comes as Sweetgreen works to stabilize performance after a challenging quarter. The company reported a 9.5 percent decline in same-store sales for the period ended Sept. 28, driven by an 11.7 percent decline in traffic and product mix. Sweetgreen's net loss widened to $36.1 million, compared to a loss of $20.8 million a year ago. The transaction strengthens the company's balance sheet while allowing it to focus on operations and customer retention rather than robotics manufacturing.
Wonder, founded by entrepreneur Marc Lore, gains a proven automation platform and 38 Spyce engineers, including co-founders Michael Farid, Kale Rogers, Brady Knight and Luke Schlueter. The company has evolved from a digital food hall into a so-called “mealtime platform,” operating around 80 locations and recently acquiring Grubhub and Blue Apron. Wonder has raised more than $2 billion in private funding and is positioning itself as a technology-driven food ecosystem. Lore said the acquisition will help Wonder scale its kitchens across different cuisines and formats, improving speed, consistency and cost efficiency.
From a technology perspective, the deal underscores a growing trend toward collaborative innovation in restaurant automation. Sweetgreen's decision to outsource manufacturing reflects the broader industry recognition that developing robotics in-house is both capital intensive and operationally complex. By licensing the technology from a specialist, operators can focus on delivery, integration and guest experience. Technology providers like Wonder can serve multiple brands by owning the hardware and engineering capabilities, spreading development costs and accelerating improvements.
Automation is gradually becoming less about novelties and more about cost-effectiveness. Systems like Spyce's Infinite Kitchen generate detailed production and performance data and track ingredient yields, order times and maintenance metrics. This information helps restaurants fine-tune menus, staffing and pricing strategies. For companies like Sweetgreen, automation is about both data insights and work efficiency.
The Wonder-Spyce deal also reflects a convergence between automation and logistics. Wonder has piloted robotic delivery and wants to integrate kitchen robotics with mobile order and delivery management. As these systems become more interconnected, the distinction between restaurant technology, order fulfillment and food production is becoming increasingly blurred.
Other major restaurant brands are taking similar paths. Chipotle was Testing robotic makelines with hyphae and automation for tortilla preparation as Domino's continues to invest in AI-controlled delivery logistics. Each initiative reflects the same underlying calculation: the long-term value of automation comes from scalability, standardization, and reliable performance – not from owning proprietary hardware.
Sweetgreen's sale of Spyce shows that automation in restaurants is entering a more pragmatic phase. The focus shifts from invention to implementation, from research to return on investment. For the industry, it's a sign that robotics is evolving from an experimental technology to an operational tool, changing the way restaurant companies allocate capital, manage data and define efficiency in the coming years.
