European food franchise chain Mangal has partnered Circus, an AI software and embodied AI-robotics provider for the foodservice sector, to roll out the first fully autonomous quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain.
Scheduled to launch in 2025, the venture will initially be launched in Germany before expanding to Turkey, Japan, Poland and other European markets.
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The first location is planned to open in Germany, kickstarting a large-scale rollout of 500 CA-1 robotic systems, designed to automate food production, by the end of 2027.
Circus founder and CEO Nikolas Bullwinkel stated: “This partnership is a strong validation of autonomous food service at scale.
“Launching the first-ever fully autonomous restaurant franchise with Mangal and Lukas Podolski is a milestone for the entire industry. We are not just automating food service – we are redefining it.”
Under the first batch framework contract signed by the parties, Mangal and Circus will deploy 2,400 robotic restaurant locations, powered by Circus’ CA-1 units and specialising in Turkish cuisine.
Mangal founder Metin Dağ stated: “With Circus’ world-class robotics technology, we are building the future of quick-service dining, bringing high-quality, delicious and accessible food to people with zero human operation required. This is more than a franchise; it’s purely a revolution.”
A media released from Mangal stated that Germany has more than 30,000 kebab outlets, surpassing the combined total of major fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King.
Annual kebab sales in Germany are estimated at €3.5bn ($3.8bn), with 400 million kebabs consumed each year.
