Restaurant robot cooks 'perfect' burger

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A new restaurant in San Francisco is using a robot and artificial intelligence to create what its backers claim is the perfect burger every time.

Creator has been in a soft launch since June.  The heart of the kitchen is a robot that automatically creates gourmet burgers using what they call "haute cuisine techniques" from Michelin-starred restaurants.

The owners claim the $6 burgers are so precise that they can't practically be made by hand.

The beef is only ground after the order is placed.  The fresh bun is not sliced until that point as well. Even the tomatoes, pickles and onions are sliced to order by the robot.

The patties are molded more loosely than human hands can, to create a burger with what the owners consider the best mouth feel. Then the robot kitchen uses an array of precise thermal sensors and algorithms to cook the burger each time.

The robot is in the middle of the restaurant but there is still staff that help take orders and serve the burgers.  Pay starts at $16 an hour and they train the staff to learn how to work with a robot.

The owners say they can keep the burger costs down because the all-electric grill is only fired up when an order is placed and the footprint of the restaurant can be 50% smaller than other burger shops.

They add that the company was founded to make a better dining experience, not push technology into the restaurant space.