When Richtech Robotics installed its robot barista ADAM in a Ghost Kitchens America location inside a Walmart last June, one of many, it received raves. But there was still a barrier for some operators: existing infrastructure.
“A lot of businesses have already invested in nice $20,000 espresso machines from Italy,” said Timothy Tanksley, director of marketing for Richtech Robotics, during an interview at the National Restaurant Association Show, where ADAM was being demonstrated. “We wanted to make sure we’re meeting them where they are, so we designed a system that features equipment commonly found in cafes, including a precision grinder, distribution and tamping equipment, and a hand-pressed espresso machine. ADAM is no longer constrained to an API-enabled coffee machine.”
Based on the gleeful reaction ADAM received at NRA, Richtech Robotics might have taken a big step forward, even in a crowded field, which includes Bear Robotics, Pudu Robotics, and Keenon Robotics. Its differentiator may be in ADAM’s cheerfulness.
“People have thought about robots in one way for a long time, like something out of a Terminator movie,” he said. “We’ve purposefully created our robots to be friendly and suitable for places with families and kids.”
This new iteration of ADAM includes a new layer of intelligence, featuring AI capabilities for monitoring and controlling the espresso-making process. It uses NVIDIA-powered AI vision to observe the water pressure during extraction and to make precise adjustments to each shot, bringing consistency to traditionally manual tasks.
And it doesn’t just make coffee drinks. In 2024, ADAM was installed at a bar inside Globe Life Field, which is the home of the Texas Rangers, just outside section 111, serving beer and specialty cocktails. And it quickly became a destination.
“In its first 30 days, ADAM was able to generate more than $32,000 in revenue,” said Tanksley. “Extrapolate that out and ADAM pays for itself quickly, and you have a cool experience you can offer and a free source of labor.”
Richtech has even found a non-restaurant side lane in the automotive industry.
“An owner of a car dealership was served by one of our robots at a restaurant and thought it could be used to deliver car parts to his mechanics,” Tanksley said. “We worked with him to develop a solution.”
Be it coffee, cocktails or carburetors, Richtech Robotics appears ready to scale.
“We’re working on a few different master service agreements at the moment,” he said. “We’re planning to move from selling to one- or two-location restaurants to larger corporations who are going to commit to mass adoption.”
