It’s 2 a.m, the music fades, and the overhead fluorescent lights flip on at the bar. Suddenly you’re terribly aware of your rumbling stomach and the tequila sodas you’ve been throwing back all night. Is there a hot-dog cart nearby? Do you have time to run to the halal food truck down the street before it closes?
If Syed Saquib has his way, you won’t even need to leave the bar to satisfy your case of the drunchies. Instead, you’ll just grab a bucket of crispy chicken nuggets from a vending machine conveniently located at your favorite watering hole.
Saquib is CEO of Brd Bot, a San Francisco startup that builds robotic kiosks that dispense buckets of deep-fried chicken in three minutes. The kiosk operates like a typical vending machine: You tap the screen to place your order, pay $6.99, and — after a mere 180 seconds — a crispy eight-piece bucket of boneless nuggets emerges from behind an automated sliding door. Saquib’s machines can be found at Rick & Roxy’s and Jaxson in Cow Hollow, Rotator Taproom in Walnut Creek, and Guildhouse in San Jose.
The chicken won’t reach the quality level of your favorite soul-food joint, nor is the seasoning mindblowing. In fact, it probably has more in common with Costco-style boneless bites than restaurant fried chicken. But it is hot, crispy, and ready to eat — arguably the most important qualities in a meal when alcohol-induced hunger hits.
“I love fried food,” Saquib says. “It’s been something that’s been a huge part of my life. I have South Asian heritage, and fried food is a big part of our culture.”
The vending machine has a freezer that holds flash-frozen, pre-cooked chicken, which is dropped into temperature-controlled oil and fried until crispy. While this process takes place inside the machine, out of view, Saquib assures skeptics that it’s safe.
All the news you can eat
Get the Off Menu newsletter every Wednesday for the latest restaurant dish.
Each machine sends regular reports to Saquib and his partners about freezer, oil, and food temperatures. Vending partners refill and maintain the machines, which are equipped with a Class K fire extinguisher in case of an oil fire inside the unmanned machine. “In the worst-case scenario, we have that safety procedure in place,” Saquib said.
He was inspired to launch Brd Bot during the fried-chicken-sandwich craze of 2019, when a viral Twitter debate led to a sandwich being listed on eBay for $7,000 (opens in new tab) and a fatal stabbing (opens in new tab). But after trying a few of the most popular and readily available fried-chicken sandwiches for himself, he was dissatisfied.
“Half the time I’d go [to a fast food restaurant], but what I’d get back is like this soggy piece of shit,” Saquib said. “Part of that is because fast food can’t anticipate demand. They make a bunch of chicken, and then they sit it under a heat lamp, so by the time you get it, it’s no longer crispy. So I thought, what if we could deep-fry it on the spot every single time, and make it to where it’s fresh and crispy when you get it, so people genuinely enjoy it.”
Saquib was drawn to the idea of a vending machine after recognizing Americans’ bottomless appetite for fast, convenient fried chicken. Researchers estimate that by 2033 (opens in new tab), the fried-chicken restaurant industry will be worth $65.8 billion, led by giants like Chick-fil-A, which last year (opens in new tab) brought in more than $22 billion and opened some 2,000 (opens in new tab) locations.
As a UC Berkeley graduate with a background in business, computer science, and electrical engineering, Saquib knew he needed partners with mechanical and software expertise. That’s how he connected with his cofounder, Ninaad Sridharan. Together, they created Brd Bot’s first prototype in 2023. Later, they brought on software expert Nidhin Madhu. The trio has secured funding from Neo, a San Francisco venture capital firm and mentoring community, and Mass Robotics, a Boston-based nonprofit.
The machines carry only one item — a red cardboard bucket of chicken nuggets — but Saquib hopes to improve them so they can sell fries, mozzarella balls, and desserts.
“People always crave novelty, so we want the option to be able to switch stuff around,” he says.