Something to cluck about

Austin startup hatches self-driving robots for local Chick-fil-A delivery

Refraction AI is rolling out self-driving robots to deliver orders from two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Austin.

Courtesy of Refraction AI

Why did the Chick-fil-A self-driving robot cross the road? To deliver your food.

Austin-based Refraction AI, a startup that specializes in automated delivery technology, is rolling out self-driving robots to deliver orders from two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Austin (600 Congress Ave. and 503 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)

Refraction says its delivery robots travel along the sides of roads or in bike lanes, avoiding sidewalks and, of course, regular traffic lanes.

“Autonomous delivery using Refraction’s robots creates an exciting new opportunity to extend the Chick-fil-A experience to a growing number of delivery guests,” Luke Steigmeyer, operator of Chick-fil-A’s Congress Avenue location, says in a news release. “The platform will allow us to provide fast, high-quality, and cost-effective meal delivery within a mile radius of our restaurant, all while helping to keep the community we serve environmentally clean and safe.”

Chick-fil-A orders from the two Austin test sites will be carried in locked compartments aboard Refraction’s wheeled, box-shaped robots. When a robot arrives at a customer’s location, a text message supplies a code enabling the customer to unlock the compartment and retrieve their order.

After initial testing at the Congress Avenue restaurant, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A and Refraction plan to add self-driving delivery robots at the Chick-fil-A location on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard starting in late June.

According to Restaurant Dive, Chick-fil-A tested autonomous delivery last year at three of its restaurants in Southern California. Those robots were made by a company called Kiwibot.

“Refraction’s robots could provide an advantage over bots like Kiwibot and Starship, which are smaller and tend to drive only on sidewalks,” Restaurant Dive says. “Refraction’s bots are bigger, faster and can reach larger suburban areas. They also can navigate through harsh weather conditions … .”

Refraction says its robots pick up goods from places like restaurants, pharmacies, and grocery stores and deliver them to customers’ homes, “enabling faster, cheaper, and safer delivery to meet … growing expectations.”

technology

Cat's Out of the Bag

Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

There ain't no grave can hold Austinites down when it's time to break in this new dive bar.

An Austin bar with a lot of personality has its eye on a new location. The Mean Eyed Cat is opening in Driftwood on Thursday, November 21.

This Johnny Cash-inspired bar has certainly always had the country aesthetic: the weathered wood, the live oak-shaded picnic tables, the black-and-white photos on the wall, and even the occasional taxidermy specimen. The same rustic vibes continue in Driftwood at 8750 W RR 150, Bldg. 100, according to a short press release.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior This new bar already looks like it's been collecting antiques for decades.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Good luck getting there on Google Maps. Right now, it drops a pin at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 150 and Elder Hill Road. However, it appears to be next to Mad Rooster's Liquor Store — we can see the side of the building through the window and the same road signs. We've reached out to a spokesperson to get the proper directions.

The Austin original has been around since 2004, and this offshoot is only its second location. The promises "the same laid-back, offbeat charm that made the original bar an icon."

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior What's a dive bar without a pool table?Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Before the Austin location was a bar, it was a chainsaw repair shop that was aptly featured in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Chris Marsh was who converted it to a watering hole and Christened it the Mean Eyed Cat, and he later sold it to current owners Matt Luckie, Max Moreland, and Jed Thompson, placing it in a lineage that also includes Lavaca Street Bar & Grill, Sign Bar, Lala’s Little Nugget, and more locally beloved staples and oddities.

All the proper references are there in Driftwood, including several saw blades on the wall, Johnny Cash memorabilia, and lyrics on every available surface, including a picnic table that ominously says "HURT." First and foremost on the menu are whiskeys and classic cocktails, keeping things as simple as anyone would expect at a dive bar.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood patio A spacious patio takes advantage of the Hill Country surroundings.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Despite the relatively remote location, commenters on Instagram have already spotted people inside and started chomping at the bit. It sounds like opening day will be a lively affair.

The Mean Eyed Cat in Driftwood will be open Mondays through Thursdays from 2 pm to 2 am, and Fridays through Sundays from noon to 2 am. Happy hour will be weekdays from 4-7 pm.

dive bars whiskey cocktails openings driftwood