TORONTO, Ontario, Canada – Dark Horse Espresso Bar and RC Coffee are excited to announce the launch of the Dark Horse Coffee Automat, a robotic, contactless, outdoor espresso bar in the heart of Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Canada’s first Coffee Automat pilot location can now be found in Toronto at 1235 Bay Street for a limited time, as the companies target expansion plans nationwide for 2021.
The Automat is a joint venture, combining the traditional coffee expertise of local favourite, Dark Horse Espresso Bar, with the innovative, self-service technology provided by RC Coffee. The companies have collaborated to refine a fully automated barista that delivers the made-to-order coffee with a premium café experience outdoors.
“We’re thrilled to expand our offerings in the city,” says Max Daviau, VP of Retail and Partner of Dark Horse Espresso. “By partnering with RC Coffee, Dark Horse Espresso Bar is able to serve our locally roasted, ethically sourced coffee to more customers in a new way, while maintaining the high standards they have come to expect from our other locations.”
The new café concept is truly unique. The team partnered with the local design duo behind Mjolk to stage a cozy café storefront and whimsical window display. The display was designed to inject a sense of playfulness and comfort into the coffee experience.
Each carefully crafted beverage is served according to Dark Horse’s high standards for premium-quality coffee with options for customization. Customers can order directly through the screen or access the menu via contactless web or mobile app to select their coffee of choice.
“Partnering with Dark Horse has enabled the fullest expression of our robotic barista. This project is the culmination of several years of development by RC Coffee,” says Brad Ford, General Manager of Coffee at RC Coffee.
“With our ground-breaking robotic delivery, our autonomous café is able to perform and replicate the functions of a barista to deliver a consistent experience and the highest quality coffee.”
The Bay St. location of the Dark Horse Coffee Automat is the pilot location, with plans for rapid expansion underway. RC Coffee plans to expand across Canada with nearly 100 locations nationwide by the end of 2021.
