In 2018, Spyce opened its first robotic kitchen in Boston. Now its sights are set on Cambridge.
The new location will feature late-night hours and a beer and wine program.
Boston was first introduced to the actualization of robots assembling lunch in May 2018, when Spyce — a fast casual restaurant started by four MIT graduates — debuted in Downtown Crossing. The idea was a novel one: customers placed their order on a tablet, and woks used heat induction to whip up a fresh Lebanese, Indian, Thai, or Korean bowl, among other options.
While there are a few real, live humans working at the restaurant (including a garde manger, who puts the finishing touches on each bowl), the focus at Spyce is on automation and efficiency. And after a year and a half — and $21 million raised in Series A funding — the robots are making their way to Cambridge.
Kale Rogers, Spyce co-founder and COO, confirmed to Boston.com that the company recently applied for a liquor license to operate at 1 Brattle Square in Cambridge, the former site of a Chipotle.
“We’re really excited to be moving to Cambridge,” said Rogers. “It’s a place that’s always been very near and dear to our hearts, going to school there. We think that the area provides a great opportunity…to bring our healthy, tasty meals to more people, and to do so in an environment that allows a lot of people to experience a little more time with us.”
The robotic kitchen at Spyce.
That additional time includes extended late-night hours proposed for the Cambridge location: 10 a.m.–2 a.m. on Sundays through Wednesdays, and 10 a.m.–4 a.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays. Rogers said that the Spyce team — which includes fellow founders Michael Farid, Brady Knight, and Luke Schlueter, along with culinary director and celebrated chef Daniel Boulud — envisions a space where customers can stop in for an evening glass of wine on the weekend, or where students can pick up a late-night meal during the week.
The addition of wine is another new element proposed for the Cambridge location. While Spyce has applied for a full liquor license, Rogers said that the focus will be on a global wine program with a few beer options; cocktails might be introduced later. Spyce’s new vice president of food and beverage, Jeff Tenner, will be spearheading the wine list, which is still in development.
The new location is larger than Spyce’s downtown restaurant, with the ability to seat 55 people inside and roughly 20 on an outdoor patio. It’s also part of a rapidly changing neighborhood, one that has seen the sudden closure of mom-and-pop stores and Harvard Square stalwarts (Crema Cafe, John Harvard’s) as larger, national chains (Milk Bar, the soon-to-open Bluestone Lane) move in. Rogers said that, while there is potential for Spyce to tap into different markets, they’re focusing on Cambridge at the moment.
“We really see this as our home and we really want to have guests in the area feel a connection to us and our story here,” he said. “This is where our roots are.”
According to Rogers, Spyce is aiming for a winter opening in Cambridge. Until then, the robotic kitchen downtown is still swishing and churning and mixing bowls at 241 Washington St.
