SoftBank Robotics to Assume Distribution Business of Yo-Kai Express’ Autonomous Cooking Robot “CHEFFY”

・ The company aims to further expand distribution and improve quality of service
・ Also prepares to expand operations into the European and Asian markets 

TOKYO, March 13, 2024 – SotfBank Robotics Corp. (HQ: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Fumihide Tomizawa, “SoftBank Robotics”) and and Yo-Kai Express Inc. (HQ: California, U.S.A.; Founder & CEO: Andy Lin, “Yo-Kai Express”) announced today that SoftBank Robotics will take over the distribution of the autonomous cooking robots in Japan, under Cheffy’s name starting April 2024.

SoftBank Robotics and Yo-Kai Express have been collaborating in distributing autonomous cooking robots that prepare and serve ramen supervised by famous restaurants to offices, lodging and commercial facilities. Yo-kai Express Inc. has been deploying its autonomous cooking robots in public transportation facilities such as train stations, airports and expressways in Japan. With SoftBank Robotics assuming distribution operations in Japan, the company aims to further expand utilization cases and distribution while continuing to improve the quality of the service.

As the business operations partner of the Silicon Valley food tech venture Yo-Kai Express, SoftBank Robotics will continue to innovate and provide new value to the food and beverage industry with innovative technology and services.

About Yo-Kai Express
Yo-Kai Express (YKE) is a rapidly growing global food tech startup with offices in Northern California, Japan, and Taiwan. YKE is redefining gourmet autonomous restaurant solutions using patented technology that performs last-mile cooking of an array of both hot and cold, savory and sweet menu selections. YKE first launched the robotic platform, built for high-traffic areas such as airports and ski resorts, offering steaming hot bowls of Tonkotsu ramen 24 hours a day and in under a minute. For more information, visit yokaiexpress.com/about.