It is no secret that commercial foodservice operators are feeling the pinch. Look at any industry survey and you will find that profitability has fallen sharply in recent years, not least because of the rising costs of energy, labor and other key resources. As so many industries have done before, the foodservice sector is turning toward automation and robotics.
That shift happened long ago in the automotive sector, for example, and no one would expect a car to be made by hand these days, but are consumers as comfortable with meals being prepared by smart software and robotic limbs? As the systems become more sophisticated, the answer may well be yes.
“We’re at a turning point,” says Helge Pahlke FCSI, manager at Berlin-based consultancy KDREI. “The first wave of kitchen robots was mostly for show – lots of flashy demos but not much substance. Now, everyone’s taking a much more strategic, step-by-step approach. Both manufacturers and operators learned from those early mistakes.”
Automation has been a part of commercial kitchens for some time now, with food processors becoming more autonomous, and even combi ovens becoming more programmable, so the trend is nothing new. Some ovens even have integrated sensors that work with AI systems to automate the selection of cooking programs and perform quality-control checks. So far, the main driver has been to reduce the need for human input and, therefore, eliminate human error as much as possible.
“Labor is surely a big driver, but I believe it isn’t the only one,” says Khaled Halabi, VP at global consultancy Cini-Little. “Another big driver is operational efficiency – the ability to reduce downtime, human error and waste is a huge factor in the race to automate some of the bulk operations in the kitchen, which in turn yield the greatest return on investment. Another big one is the ability to gather and analyze huge amounts of operational data in automated equipment, which can be used to optimize the operation as a whole.”
“There is clearly a demand for operators to reduce cost in most sectors and labor levels are constantly under the microscope,” adds Ed Bircham FCSI, director of Humble Arnold Associates. “Any developments that allow the operator to deskill or reduce labor requirements will always be enthusiastically adopted.”
Rise of the robots
The industry has moved on from the hype around Flippy, the burger-flipping robot that has found its place in the kitchens of White Castle, Jack in the Box, and other fast food brands. Robots are no longer just a technological novelty, but a source of significant financial and operational advantages to many kinds of foodservice operation.
Beyond the novelty factor, any machine that can automate repetitive tasks will not only have a positive impact on long-term labor costs, but could improve food safety and hygiene by reducing contamination risks, reduce waste through greater precision and portion control, and potentially boost customer satisfaction by improving quality control and speeding up delivery. Hence the ever-growing number of applications of automated or robotic systems in commercial kitchens.
Many brands are integrating automation directly into traditional cooking equipment. For example, Rational’s iCombi Pro features intelligent cooking paths that adjust temperature, humidity, and time automatically for different food loads, minimizing operator input. Companies such as Spyce in the US and Karakuri in the UK have developed robotic cooking stations that can automate entire meal-preparation workflows, including ingredient dispensing, cooking, plating, and cleaning. They deliver customizable dishes at speed while reducing labor costs and hygiene risks.
Automated frying and beverage systems are becoming more prevalent. As well as Miso’s Flippy, companies such as The Middleby Corporation are offering fryers with automated basket lift and oil filtration to reduce manual handling. Robotic pizza and burger preparation is seemingly everywhere. In the US, Picnic has a pizza assembly robot that automates sauce, cheese, and toppings application with precision, while Creator offers a fully automated burger-making machine that grinds meat, slices ingredients, and assembles burgers autonomously.
“Many operators are starting small, with dishwashing and sorting robots as entry points,” says Pahlke. “Low risk with immediate relief. Six months of running robots and humans in parallel, then gradual handover. I’ve seen some interesting approaches in luxury hotels, where robots handle overnight prep, allowing daytime staff to focus entirely on à-la-carte service. Similarly, automated salad bars in corporate dining have the potential to cut peak-time queues by up to 30%.”
Ghost in the machine
Inevitably, at the heart of modern kitchen automation lies AI. Intelligent systems that collect data and learn usage patterns are commonplace in many kitchens now, and are a source of significant cost savings by enabling optimization of workflows and equipment usage. The next level up for AI is predictive analysis, using data relating to the weather, events or historical trends to forecast covers with startling levels of accuracy, thus optimizing ordering, inventory and food prep processes.
At the highest level, AI enables autonomous operation of kitchen equipment. This is currently very rare – Pahlke estimates that only 8% of operators have this capability, but that small group is getting a 25-35% reduction in operating costs. At this level of autonomy, combi ovens are using cameras that recognize different cooking stages and are able to make automatic adjustments.
“In premium hotels, for example, we’re already using 25% AI-enabled systems,” he says. “Within five years, that will be the industry standard. AI is becoming normal, not special.”
For Jörg Csanitz FCSI, managing partner at Reisner und Frank, AI will herald significant change in the working environment in commercial kitchens. “In the short term, we will see increasing integration of semi-automated systems, such as AI-enabled combi ovens, multifunctional cooking equipment, and robotic beverage or preparation stations, and these will support staff by automating repetitive, hazardous, or labor-intensive tasks, but kitchens will still rely on human chefs for creative and complex work,” he says.
“In the longer term, we will see a fundamental transformation of kitchen workflows, with fully automated cooking lines for standardized, high-volume production, especially in QSR, ghost kitchens, hospitals, and large canteens,” he adds. “Robotic systems will be integrated with AI and IoT platforms for end-to-end processes – from inventory and ordering to preparation, cooking, plating, and dishwashing.”
Robots are certainly making a mark. Japanese company TechMagic is introducing stir-fry robots capable of cooking 30 meals every hour to the US market, and it is hoping to lease 1,000 robots by 2030. On the AI front, the first restaurant operated by a culinary large language model (LLM) is set to open near the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Dubbed Chef Aiman, the system will draw on food science research, molecular composition data, and a vast library of recipes to create menus.
Automated technology is clearly finding its place, but there is still a need to be cautious and ensure that any investment is in real value, not just gimmicks. As Pahlke says, “The rule I always tell clients: understand the problem first, then find the technology. The best automation solves real operational challenges.”
Jim Banks
