Customer Experience
Image courtesy 7Fresh Coffee
August 19, 2026
JD.com’s 7Fresh Coffee has opened what it describes as the world’s first 24-hour intelligent unmanned coffee shop, bringing robotic drink preparation to Beijing’s Galaxy SOHO, according to a Global Times report. The automated location uses robots throughout the process, from grinding coffee beans and extracting espresso to mixing drinks and delivering finished orders to customers. Customers order through a self-service kiosk or the JD app, after which the system routes the request to an automated production line.
The system can prepare a drink in as little as 20 to 30 seconds and handle seven to eight orders simultaneously, according to a 7Fresh Coffee employee. Before its official opening Sunday, the location produced 202 cups in one hour, setting a Guinness World Record for continuous operation, according to the company. The menu includes coffee, tea, sparkling water and probiotic juice priced from 15 yuan to 20 yuan, or about $2.20 to $2.80. Customers can also customize sweetness, coffee strength and juice concentration and create personalized names and digital cards for their drinks.
7Fresh Coffee said the concept is intended to address challenges facing traditional cafes, including labor expenses, inconsistent product quality and limited operating hours. The company combines JD’s artificial intelligence technology with robotics to automate tasks typically performed by baristas and plans to add an AI-powered feature offering personalized caffeine recommendations. The Beijing opening also reflects the broader expansion of Chinese technology and e-commerce companies into automated retail, with industry observers saying the model could provide a blueprint for other markets if it proves reliable and scalable.