Here's What To Know About Chefee Robotics From Shark Tank

Recently, there's been a boom in AI-operated restaurants. But what if a similar technology could free you from the hassle of home cooking? Chefee Robotics thinks it can. The robotics company, scheduled to appear on Season 15, Episode 17 of "Shark Tank," which airs on March 8, is pitching an elaborate autonomous kitchen — also named Chefee — that it believes can completely replace the need to cook in your home. Founded by former restauranteur Assaf Pashut, the company is building a robotic kitchen insert that stores, preps, and cooks meals — all at the press of a button (or, in this case, voice command).

While not yet available for sale, Chefee's line of home chef robots is expected to come in three different models and blend seamlessly into an existing home kitchen. Besides hardware that cooks, the units also contain software that integrates the machines with Amazon Fresh and Instacart, allowing them to order ingredients and saving you a trip to the grocery store. These futuristic kitchen gadgets are currently available for pre-sale, and the company is advertising that they'll be delivered by Christmas 2024.

The Chefee system isn't yet for sale and has no public reviews; however, Chefee Robotics provides a list of features these home chef robots will have, including expandable cooking modules and a multi-ingredient robot pantry. 

Videos and graphics on the site show an overhead pantry unit that fits into standard kitchen shelving. Below the pantry is a sleek compartment that houses the actual cooking mechanism. A graphic shows the pantry dispensing ingredients into the cooking module, which then prepares an entire meal.

Worried about eating the same robot food day after day? Fear not! Chefee claims these complex appliances can crank out over 5,000 meal choices, from Spanish paella to pumpkin curry. While the first Chefee isn't on the market yet, the company is already making plans for add-ons that offer additional cooking services, like a baker and blender. When it's time to cook, you can simply give the system a voice command, and the Chefee will get to work.

Despite appearing to be fully autonomous, there is a hint that some manual labor might still be involved. Under an FAQ heading, Chefee Robotics states, "About 95% of the ingredients can arrive either precut or don't need to be cut at all," suggesting that a small amount of prep work may be involved. However, it's also quick to state that the company "is in talks with meal delivery companies" to raise that number to 100%.

Over the past year, Chefee Robotics has logged milestones and updated product development on its Instagram page. While the company has shared a few marketing videos — including an exciting announcement about "Shark Tank" — most of its posts depict behind-the-scenes glimpses of mechanical advances and robot iterations. In one photo, Assaf Pashut details a humorous encounter at an Airbnb. While renting the home, a cleaning service mistook the alien-looking Chefee system for some kind of weapon, which quickly escalated to an email from Airbnb requesting that Pashut "follow their no-weapons policy."

In another video post, the company gets the general public involved. Posing as a catering company, Pashut and his team travel around Austin offering free samples of their food. Only after a round of positive reviews does Pashut reveal the con: "Our head chef is actually a robotic chef," he tells the taste testers. If the excitement in the video is authentic, Chefee may have a pretty successful product.

If the promise of a highly functional robot that can cook all your meals and do all your grocery shopping sounds too good to be true, well, it might be. According to the Chefee pre-sale page, the base model sticker price is $17,995, while the more advanced unit — which includes many of the most useful features, like built-in refrigeration and seamless installation — is an eye-watering $58,995. A middle option will be introduced at $35,995. The models come in four different colorways and will come with installation services.

Some of the sticker shock can be avoided if you purchase a Chefee during the pre-sale period, which will save you between $3,000 and $9,000, depending on which model you choose. The first 100 orders will also be treated to additional perks, including a visit to the Chefee Robotics headquarters and $1,000 worth of groceries for your new cooking machine. Pre-orders require a $500 deposit that the company says is 100% refundable.