Why Jamba Workers May Not Be Making Your Smoothies Anymore
Jamba is a popular smoothie staple that offers an array of health-infused items, such as their classic smoothies, bowls, egg sandwiches, and protein bites. In 2019, the popular smoothie company decided to make some major changes based on customer needs and the growing availability of accessible technology (via Hospitality Technology). The brand revitalized its app to include the ability to log nutritional needs and access its expanding loyalty program, which offers the convenience of mobile payments.
Jamba continued to move forward with the times and underwent a significant makeover, which included its recent name change from Jamba Juice to Jamba. With an updated menu and a significant lean toward customer preferences, Jamba saw a roughly 20% increase in digital sales alone in 2020 (via Nation's Restaurant News). With the company's mission to be more reachable, it's no surprise their next business move could include more advanced technology — and it may impact who's serving your next Orange-C Booster.
Jamba's future includes robotic smoother-makers
Tuesday, Jamba announced that it plans to work with robotics company Blendid to install a robotic smoothie kiosk at a Love's Travel Stop, a chain of gas station convenience stores (per The Takeout). If all goes well, the plan is to expand to other Love's locations across the U.S. While this may come as a surprise to some, this isn't the first time Jamba has successfully installed an automated smoothie maker. The company's first robotic kiosk debuted in 2020 at a Walmart in Dixon, California (via PR Newswire).
The entire process is contactless, from ordering a smoothie on the Blendid app to picking it up. The automated system can whip up a custom smoothie in less than three minutes and store the drink properly for pickup. The robotic system proved to be so successful that these machines are now at two different Georgia colleges (per Vending Times). Regardless of which products you love to order from Jamba, more change in the future is inevitable. And while there have been some blips in the process for Jamba, as seen on TikTok, robotic arms serving smoothies may eventually be old news.