So… what do we call this market guide?

I wish I had something snappier than “Standalone Autonomous Restaurants,” which sounds so sterile. But that’s what these machines are. They are literal automated restaurants that are self-contained and stuffed inside literal boxes.

This guide walks you through the coming wave of restaurants that can fit in shipping containers or smaller type boxes, and set up just about anywhere you can get power and water (if necessary).

But they aren’t just any autonomous kiosk. I’m defining this category as standalone kiosk that operates without human intervention (other than re-stocking and maintenance), contains multiple ingredients, can make a variety of menu options (so that excludes mono-taking robots like Blendid and Piestro), and can offer hot food (so that excludes robots like Chowbotics).

Whatever you choose to call it, these are the key players in the space. Some are building their own food brand (like Mezli), while others are targeting corporate cafeterias (like Karakuri), and others are powering other food brands (like Hyper).