Baton Rouge startup Speedy Eats has sold its first unmanned drive-thru store to Tance Hughes, an entrepreneur based in Vidalia.
Speedy Eats is a developer of automated retail systems. The company currently operates more than two dozen automated fridge units throughout the Capital Region.
The new store concept will be stocked by Hughes, who will pay Speedy Eats a percentage of his sales as well as a software subscription fee. In exchange, Speedy Eats’ software will run the store for him, no on-site staff required.
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The store will be able to sell products, track inventory and purge expired goods without any human intervention.
“It’s a great way for the operator to reduce headaches,” Speedy Eats owner Speed Bancroft told Daily Report in March.
The store will be on John R Junkin Drive in Natchez, Mississippi. Permitting, delivery and installation should take place within the next 90 to 120 days, Bancroft writes on LinkedIn.
Once operational, the store will sell locally prepared meals like salads, sandwiches and wraps in addition to beverages and sides.
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Bancroft was inspired to research food automation technology in 2015 after a particularly sour experience at a fast-food drive-thru. He began by developing a hamburger robot before pivoting to automated pizza kitchens, fridge units and, eventually, drive-thru stores.
Read more about Speedy Eats’ unmanned drive-thru store concept.
This story originally appeared in a June 25 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.