Fast-casual chain sweetgreen inked a deal to acquire Spyce, a Boston-based restaurant company powered by automation.

In November of 2020 Spyce debuted what the company calls its Infinite Kitchen, which automates the meal cooking and assembly process. The delivery-only concept is the brainchild of four MIT students back in 2018.

Sweetgreen sees the acquisition as an opportunity to reimagine how it serves guests by enhancing quality, consistency and efficiency. The chain is determining when and where they will introduce Spyce’s technology into its restaurants.

“Spyce and sweetgreen have a shared purpose,” says Jonathan Neman, co-founder and CEO of sweetgreen in a release announcing the deal. “We built sweetgreen to connect more people to real food and create healthy fast food at scale for the next generation, and Spyce has built state-of-the-art technology that perfectly aligns with that vision. By joining forces with their best-in-class team, we will be able to elevate our team member experience, provide a more consistent customer experience and bring real food to more communities.”

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in third quarter of 2021.