$6 Robot Burger Restaurant Opens for Walk-Ins

Creator’s big, all-in-one burger making machines have been churning away in SoMa (at 680 Folsom) since June — but so far, customers have needed ticketed reservations to score their $6 burgers. No more: Those creations will be available to walk-in customers starting tomorrow, Wednesday September 26th, on a first come, first-served basis.

That service, by the way, is hardly robotic: There are no order kiosks, just (human) employees taking order (on their iPhones) in the 2,200-square-foot, minimalist restaurant space. The idea, as Creator’s founder Alex Vardakostas explained to Eater SF, is to balance people and machines to improve how food is made, not to replace humans altogether.

Albert Law

“We make the sauces; we prep the items that go into the machine — humans are part of the process,” echoes Creator chef/culinary lead David Bordow. “This would never replace the need for a sous chef or a line cook.”

Also adding a human touch are recipes from chefs like Nick Balla and Tu David Phu. And during the controlled, ticketed rollout, Creator has been learning from customer reactions and iterating — to deploy that tech industry terminology — on its burger design.

Aiolis, they’ve decided, are best spread on the bottom bun of the burger, while spicy flavors or better added on top. They’ve also expanded the menu slightly, remaking the original Creator vs. The World Burger as the Recreator to add more smoky flavors with smoked cheddar, habanero sea salt, and alderwood smoked salt. They’ve also added a plain burger option and partnered with new vendors, like indoor farming company Plenty, whose vertically grown greens provide the basis for Creator’s $4 salad.

Starting this week, Creator is also open on Fridays, but hours are limited overall as they kick their machines into high gear. Stop in Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 11:30am to 2:00 pm.