Sep 10, 2018

Restaurant concept Spyce raises $21 million in Series A funding

Dan Primack

Machines that dispense meals at Spyce Food Co. are pictured in Boston on April 20, 2018. Photo: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Spyce, a Somerville, Mass.-based restaurant concept that features a robotic kitchen, raised $21 million in Series A funding co-led by CollabFund and Maveron.

Why it matters: Because this could be the future of fast-casual restaurants, although there are questions as to whether Spyce itself is being valued as a restaurant chain or a tech company.

  • Other investors include return backer Khosla Ventures, and chefs Thomas Keller, Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud and Gavin Kaysen.

Bottom line: "The entire experience at Spyce, from start to finish, requires customers to interact with technology. Order on a touch screen, and then wait as a robot makes your Moroccan bowl. There are some human employees at Spyce — they help guide customers through the ordering process, if need be, and perform some tasks that the robots cannot, such as prepping ingredients and garnishing the finished plates." — Terrence Doyle, Eater Boston

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Cruise ship evacuations: More Americans test positive for coronavirus

A bus carrying American citizens from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship arrives at the U.S. government-chartered aircraft that is taking them back to the United States while authorities wear protective suits look on at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Another 14 passengers tested positive for the novel coronavirus during their evacuation from the Diamond Princess cruise ship before being flown in a "specialist containment" area of the plane to the United States, per a Trump administration statement early Monday.

Details: Over 40 Americans who had been on the ship had previously been confirmed as infected and will remain in Japanese hospitals for treatment, NIAID director Anthony Fauci told "Face the Nation" Sunday. The rest were evacuated, and these latest cases were among them. All evacuees will undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival later Monday.

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GM to exit Australia, New Zealand and Thailand

GM's Holden brand is popular among racing fans down under, and it's been a regular fixture at events like the Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercar Race in Australia. Photo: Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

General Motors is retiring its Holden brand from sales in Australia and New Zealand and winding down operations in the two countries and Thailand by 2021, the company confirmed in a statement Monday.

Why it matters: The Holden brand has been in Australia and New Zealand for 160 years, per a GM statement issued in Australia. It is beloved by many motor racing fans down under. Holden produced Australia's first wholly locally made car in 1948.

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In photos: Deadly Storm Dennis lashes U.K., Ireland and western France

A family is rescued from a property in Nantgarw, Wales, on Sunday. The storm comes a week after the U.K. was battered by storm Ciara, which killed two people, per the BBC. Photo: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

Storm Dennis continued to pummel parts of England, Wales and Ireland over Sunday night with heavy rain after battering Northern Ireland and Scotland, per the official British weather agency the Met Office.

Why it matters: It's the second-strongest nontropical storm ever recorded in the North Atlantic Ocean, with its hurricane-force winds and heavy rains that caused widespread flooding across the U.K., the Washington Post notes. Police in Wales confirmed Sunday they found the body of a man who fell into a river as the storm lashed Ystradgynlais.

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