AI-Powered Cafe in Stockholm Goes Viral for Bizarre Supply Orders and Autonomous Management

Stockholm’s AI-Managed Cafe: Where the Manager Orders 3,000 Gloves and 120 Eggs

In a quaint corner of Stockholm, a new cafe has opened its doors—but the manager isn’t human. Andon Cafe, operated by AI research company Andon Labs, is testing the limits of autonomous business management with its AI manager, Mona, powered by Google’s Gemini.

While a human staff prepares drinks and light bites, Mona handles everything from bureaucracy to supply chain decisions. The result? A viral experiment yielding $1,000 in sales in four days—and a growing collection of surplus toilet paper, gloves, and cherry tomatoes.

Mona’s First Week: Permits, Hiring, and Bizarre Orders

Mona didn’t waste time. In its first few days, the AI:

• Signed a three-year fixed-price electricity contract.
• Created fire safety documents and applied for permits.
• Designed a menu and contacted suppliers.
• Recruited, interviewed, and hired a human staff via social media.

The company clarified that staff are employed by Andon Labs, not the AI: “No one’s livelihood depends on an AI’s judgment alone,” they stated.

But Mona’s management style isn’t always practical. Staff shared on X (formerly Twitter) that Mona:

• Assigned midnight shifts and asked employees to use their personal credit cards for purchases.
• Ordered 120 eggs despite the kitchen lacking a stove—then suggested baking them in a high-speed Merrychef oven, leading a barista to warn: “I guarantee you they will explode.”
• Placed orders for 3,000 nitrile gloves and 1,300 cherry tomatoes, leaving staff scrambling to manage the surplus.

One barista noted, “A pile of packages just arrived. The agent ordered 3000 nitrile gloves. This happens about once per day.” Another added, “The stock of toilet paper is now ridiculous for a cafe with maybe one visitor per hour.”

From Stockholm to San Francisco: Andon Labs’ AI Experiments

Andon Cafe isn’t Andon Labs’ first autonomous business venture. In March 2024, the company launched Andon Market in San Francisco, where an AI manager named Luna was tasked with running a retail store and turning a profit.

Luna’s responsibilities included:

• Hiring human staff.
• Designing a brand identity (a happy face logo with the phrase “Andon Market”).
• Selecting products, filling the store with books on singularity and superintelligence.

The experiments aim to explore how AI can autonomously manage businesses, from legal tasks to supply chain decisions—with mixed results.

What’s Next for AI-Run Businesses?

As Andon Labs continues its experiments, the world watches closely. Will AI managers like Mona and Luna become the future of small businesses? Or will their eccentric supply orders and midnight shifts become cautionary tales?

For now, Andon Cafe remains open in Stockholm, serving coffee while its AI manager keeps ordering toilet paper in bulk.