By Lea Mira, RTN staff writer - 11.7.2025
Sweetgreen has reportedly reached an agreement to sell its robotics subsidiary, Spyce, to Wonder in a deal valued at roughly $186 million. Launched in 2018 and revamped with new technology two years later, Spyce employes automated cooking system, a dynamic, customizable menu and in-house delivery. The sale reportedly includes $100 million in cash and an additional $86.4 million in Wonder’s preferred shares. Spyce, which Sweetgreen acquired in 2021, developed the automated “Infinite Kitchen” technology used in the company’s growing number of robotic makeline restaurants.
The transaction is designed to let each company focus on its strengths. Sweetgreen will continue to operate and expand its Infinite Kitchen restaurants through a long-term supply and licensing agreement, while Wonder will take on manufacturing and further research and development. CEO Jonathan Neman told analysts that Sweetgreen will be able to purchase the equipment “at cost plus about five percent,” a move he said will help lower future unit build costs.
For Sweetgreen, the sale removes the capital and operating burden of running a robotics company while maintaining access to the technology that underpins its automation strategy. The chain, which operates around 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 stronger 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 same-store sales decline during the period ending Sept. 28, driven by an 11.7 percent drop in traffic and product mix. Sweetgreen’s net loss widened to $36.1 million, compared with a loss of $20.8 million a year earlier. The transaction strengthens the company’s balance sheet while allowing it to focus on operations and customer engagement 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 what it calls a “mealtime platform,” operating about 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 cuisines and formats, improving speed, consistency, and cost efficiency.
From a technology standpoint, the deal underscores a growing trend toward partnership-based innovation in restaurant automation. Sweetgreen’s decision to outsource manufacturing reflects a broader industry realization that developing robotics in-house is both capital-intensive and operationally complex. By licensing technology from a specialist, operators can focus on deployment, integration, and guest experience. For technology providers like Wonder, owning the hardware and engineering functions allows them to serve multiple brands, spreading development costs and accelerating improvements.
Automation is gradually becoming less about novelty and more about economics. Systems like Spyce’s Infinite Kitchen generate detailed production and performance data—tracking ingredient yields, order times, and maintenance metrics. This information helps restaurants fine-tune menus, staffing, and pricing strategies. For companies like Sweetgreen, automation is as much about data insight as it is about labor efficiency.
The Wonder-Spyce deal also reflects a convergence between automation and logistics. Wonder has been piloting robotic delivery and aims to integrate kitchen robotics with mobile ordering and delivery management. As these systems become more connected, the distinction between restaurant technology, fulfillment, and food production continues to blur.
Other major restaurant brands are exploring similar paths. Chipotle has been testing robotic makelines with Hyphen and automation for tortilla preparation, for example, while Domino’s continues to invest in AI-driven delivery logistics. Each initiative reflects the same underlying calculation: the long-term payoff from automation comes from scale, standardization, and reliable performance—not from proprietary hardware ownership.
Sweetgreen’s sale of Spyce shows that automation in restaurants is entering a more pragmatic phase. The focus is shifting from invention to implementation, from research to return on investment. For the industry, it’s a sign that robotics is maturing from an experimental technology into an operational tool, reshaping how restaurant companies allocate capital, manage data, and define efficiency in the years ahead.
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