Marc Lore: AI Will Soon Make It Easy for Anyone to Open a Restaurant
Former Walmart e-commerce CEO and Jet.com founder Marc Lore stated that AI technology is about to enable anyone to easily open and operate a restaurant without the need for professional chefs or management experience.
AI will automate core processes such as menu optimization, supply chain procurement, kitchen scheduling, order processing, and customer service, significantly lowering the barriers to entrepreneurship and operational costs.
This prediction reflects the accelerating penetration of AI into the physical dining service industry, helping ordinary entrepreneurs compete with traditional restaurants.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
Marc Lore has continued to invest in AI and physical businesses since selling Jet.com, previously laying out AI-driven retail and logistics projects. His prediction for restaurants extends his view of "democratizing entrepreneurship through AI," similar to his earlier efforts to lower retail barriers in e-commerce.
In terms of capital pathways, AI startups are investing in restaurant agents and automation hardware, charging subscription fees through SaaS + robotics solutions, while helping small entrepreneurs reduce labor costs (traditional restaurants often have labor costs exceeding 60%). This creates a win-win loop between AI tool providers and end operators.
Similar to the implementation of AI in logistics (automated warehouses) and retail (unmanned convenience stores), the restaurant industry is currently at the starting point of transitioning from labor-intensive operations to AI-assisted operations.
Essentially, this is a technological substitution: AI replaces roles such as chefs, managers, and waitstaff through agents and automated systems, shifting capital from high fixed labor investments to low-barrier AI tool subscriptions and standardized operations. Mechanically, it allows non-professionals to efficiently manage complex dining processes through natural language planning and real-time optimization, promoting a structural shift in the service industry from skill barriers to technological accessibility.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
The most disruptive aspect of AI is not for large enterprises, but in transforming tasks that "only experts can do" into tasks that "anyone can do." The higher the labor costs in an industry, the more entrepreneurial opportunities arise after the arrival of AI. When opening a restaurant only requires an AI, the competition shifts from craftsmanship to who can use their AI better.