Yummy Future Expands Robotic Coffee Shops to Palo Alto and Hires Engineers in Champaign

Yummy Future builds robotic workforces for the food and beverage industry, operating automated coffee shops that combine robotic arms with human staff. Founded in 2018, the Seed-stage startup graduated from Y Combinator's S19 batch and has raised $1.1 million in funding from investors including Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Asymmetry Ventures, FounderPartners, and iVenture Accelerator.

Co-founders Jack Cui and Garrett Yan started the business while studying engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As reported by Palo Alto Online, the company's robotic arm automates repetitive beverage assembly tasks, dispensing exact amounts of ice, milk, syrup, and espresso in as fast as 45 seconds. The automated setup is designed so human staff can focus on customer service, shop oversight, and refilling ingredients.

Retail Expansion and Hardware Commercialization

Yummy Future has expanded beyond its original campus roots in Illinois into Northern California. According to The Campanile, the company opened a location on University Avenue in Palo Alto, marking its third store. The robotic arm can craft up to 120 drinks per hour with a 99.7% recipe accuracy rate while scheduling drink steps to minimize wait times.

Alongside its storefront cafes, Yummy Future sells turnkey automation hardware directly to third parties. The company offers two packaged products, "Coffee-in-a-Box" and "Counter-Bar-in-a-Box," designed for installation in offices, homes, and airports.

Engineering and Operations Hiring

To maintain its hardware and software systems while expanding storefront operations, Yummy Future is recruiting engineers in Illinois and store staff in California and Illinois.

In Champaign, the technical team focuses on embedded control systems, mechanical design, and software integration. The company is hiring an ECE / Robotics Engineer (Full-Time) – Yummy Future to develop and maintain software systems in Python and C++, with requirement of experience on microcontrollers such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi. To support hardware prototyping, the Mechanical / Robotics Engineer (Full-Time) – Yummy Future designs 3D-printed components, specifies materials and tools, and troubleshoots physical mechanisms. Additionally, a Robotics Engineer (CS&ECE) assists with manufacturing tool specifications and software troubleshooting.

Yummy Future also relies on store staff to inform engineering design. At its campus location, a Full-time Barista at Yummy Future Coffee on the UIUC campus ($18–$20/hr) operates equipment, assists customers, and helps draft learning guides for future engineering development. In California, the company is hiring a Coffee Shop Manager - on University Ave in Palo Alto ($26–$32/hr) to oversee daily shop management, train staff, and troubleshoot hardware, alongside a part-time Barista - on University Ave in Palo Alto ($20–$22/hr) to run storefront operations.

Open Roles

See all open roles at Yummy Future