Xook

Xook designs and operates autonomous robotic food kiosks that prepare chef-curated hot and cold bowls to order across multiple cuisines, including salads, pasta, Mexican, and fusion dishes. The kiosk occupies a 60 sq. ft. footprint, requires only a power socket, and is positioned for deployment in settings such as office pantries, airport gates, hospital lobbies, convenience stores, co-working spaces and apartment buildings. It can operate as a multi-cuisine cafeteria, as an outpost of an existing restaurant brand, or as a dark cafe fulfilling delivery-app orders. The first kiosk generation, the Xook Primus, was described at pre-seed stage as having a 3'x3' footprint and producing a meal in about two minutes.

The company frames the product as a "food court in a box": a single unmanned unit that can host several food brands simultaneously, each using the kiosk as a distribution channel. Its stated technology stack comprises the Xook Primus modular hardware platform, built in-house on a Lego-like plug-and-play module philosophy (dispensers, cleaning unit, delivery unit); the Xook Sense IoT and edge-computing platform, which applies computer vision and deep learning to track and measure ingredients for consistent output; and custom high-precision robotics with proprietary path-planning and collision-detection algorithms sized for the compact enclosure.

Co-founder and CEO Rajagopal (Raja) Natarajan, a Y Combinator and Techstars alum who previously held management roles at Cure.fit and Livspace, leads the company with co-founder Ratul Roy. Most of the team is based in India, while the entity behind the product is registered in Singapore; Natarajan's Forbes Technology Council profile lists Austin, TX as his location and the company at 11-50 employees.

Founding story

Co-founders Rajagopal Natarajan (CEO) and Ratul Roy built and trialed a prototype robotic kiosk in Bangalore before targeting the United States for rollout. Natarajan's stated rationale was that the subsidized corporate cafeteria experience common in India is rare for US office workers, and that in markets with high labor and food costs such an offering is only feasible with automation.

Business model

Xook places its kiosks at host sites at zero upfront cost — no rental or subscription fee — and earns revenue from the sale of meals, which can be paid for by the employer, the employee or a resident. The company curates the menus, supplies fresh ingredients daily and operates the kiosk, with a Xook employee in each city replenishing machines. The model is designed around low unit CAPEX, with kiosks reported to cost roughly $15,000 each to manufacture versus up to $70,000 cited for competing robotic kiosks.

Revenue comes solely from meal sales at the kiosk and via delivery apps; hosts pay no rental, subscription or upfront hardware cost. Meals may be paid for by an employer, an employee or a building resident.

Traction

The Bangalore pilot produced 60 different meal types and offered 25 of the most popular dishes, with deployments at CoinSwitch's corporate office, BHIVE Premium co-working space and the Springfields apartment complex. In the US, the company reports a commercially live installation in Philadelphia and pilots in Austin and San Antonio, with New York City and Toronto listed as upcoming. The Xookeeper operator app shows 5+ downloads on Google Play.

Latest developments

The company operates a companion Android app, Xookeeper, published by CHEFX LABS PTE. LTD., which guides field staff step-by-step through replenishing kiosks; the listing was last updated in August 2026. Its website reports a commercially live deployment in Philadelphia, pilots in Austin and San Antonio, and planned expansion to New York City and Toronto. In 2024, CEO Rajagopal Natarajan published articles on autonomy in quick commerce and hardware-versus-software product building through the Forbes Technology Council.