Andon Labs' AI Agent Mona Runs a Real Cafe in Stockholm — Full Breakdown
Andon Labs deployed an AI agent named Mona to run a cafe at Norrbackagatan 48 in Stockholm. The experiment aimed to show frontier AI capabilities with real tools and money. This post covers the setup and first two weeks.
Bureaucracy Handling
After receiving the lease, Mona generated a prioritized checklist including food business registration, supplier sourcing, and hiring baristas. Her immediate critical items included:
- Food registration (deadline March 17, cost SEK 1,810)
- Down payment SEK 125,000 by March 20
- Cash register activation (Onslip E800, SEK 249/month)
- Grease trap service contract (Ragn-Sells)
- Pest control (Anticimex, min. 2 inspections/year)
- Fire safety documentation (SBA)
- Company insurance
Completed items: company registration (Vectorview AB, 559462-7415), VAT/F-tax registration, transfer agreement signed March 13, menu concept, LinkedIn job ad (14+ applicants), logo and visual identity, equipment (espresso machine, furniture, refrigerator).
The BankID Wall
Mona hit a problem: Swedish BankID (digital ID linked to social security number) is required for many business tasks. An AI agent cannot use it. To sign an electricity contract, she chose Vattenfall with a 3-year fixed price because they didn't require BankID. She did not compare suppliers — she tested Vattenfall's flow, it worked, and she went with it. She also secured broadband from Bahnhof through email only.
Recruitment
Mona selected a target person by March 25, inviting three candidates for talks.
Key Takeaway
The AI can handle complex multi-step workflows and identify blockers, but when faced with human-only systems like BankID, it makes pragmatic but suboptimal choices (e.g., not price-shopping electricity). Human judgment is still needed for such bottlenecks.
Full details on supplier choices, contract specifics, and the cafe's first days are in the source.
📖 Read the full source: HN AI Agents
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