When I first wrote about robots in restaurant kitchens four years ago, the prevailing concern wasn't about technological advancements, but the palpable fear of robots taking jobs away from people. And like a good journalist, I asked my restaurant sources who were using robotics their thoughts about that. These early adopters were quick to point out that robots weren’t replacing staff, but rather liberating them to focus more on customer service and free them to hone their creative skills.
That boiler plate narrative is pretty much out the window. According to a recent operator survey (Datassential’s Labor Deep-Dive: Operator Check-In), rising labor costs are near the top of the list of restaurants’ operational challenges at 36%, as is recruiting and hiring hourly staff (31%) and retaining hourly staff (29%). In four years, finding workers has surpassed the concern of replacing them. Bring on the robots!
And that’s what happened at the National Restaurant Association annual show in May. Within the wide spectrum of automation, robots proved a distinctive niche. It’s interesting to see the blurred line between standard automation and these robotic marvels. Two processes that have seen significant automation advancements include the preparation of French fries and other deep-fat fried delicacies, as well as burger grilling. A few new robotic equipment launches along these lines were among the show’s prestigious Kitchen Innovation Award winners.
Coffee automation/robots seem to be the “it” category at the moment. Specifically, coffee with barista-style precision. Remember when Coca Cola came out with its freestyle machine in 2009 that delivers over 100 soft drink flavors and combinations? Now the company offers Costa Smart Café—a machine that makes up to 200 coffee ingredient combinations, cold and hot, prepared by the machine in 90 seconds or less. That won a Kitchen Innovation Award at the NRA show this year.
Robojo was another automated coffee wonder and award winner. Specifically, an espresso machine, it also prepares hot or cold designer coffee. This one takes the coffee craft a bit further with a latte art printer. So, imagine the personalized designs. Really, these machines could put baristas out of business. The Robojo also comes with a credit card terminal, so the cashier is also unnecessary.
What this automated or robotic espresso/latte machine category really does is give any type of business a run at Starbucks. I’m thinking of c-stores, hospitals, sports arenas, office buildings, high-end apartment buildings, airports, etc. How about a coffee robot at the post office? Those institutions really need help! I would worry about Starbucks, except they have an alliance with Nestle in a “We Proudly Serve Starbucks® Coffee Programme.” But that dates back to 2018. The world is a different place. If you look at their website, “personal connection” seems to be Starbucks’ operating ethos. With the advent of robots/automation that can do more than Starbucks and faster, I’m going to guess they are going to need to pull up that “personal connection” boat anchor. Or at least launch another boat.
Salad bars are the other category that find their perfect application in robotics/automation. In 2017, Chowbotics created the popular Sally, the salad-making robot. In 2021, DoorDash acquired the company, and then thought better of it, and last August stopped the Sally salad making business. The gap that left in salad robots was filled at the NRA show this year with the debut of yet another Kitchen Innovation Award winner. It’s called SerVue, Touchless Refrigerated Slide-In. It’s a salad/food bar with canisters housed in a refrigerated chamber that can dispense and portion control ingredients with the touch of a button. Pretty much what Sally the salad maker did.
The point is, an army of robots is coming to foodservice, and you know the future is AI-smart function and automatic payment, just because the technology has evolved. The labor is a non-issue. The technology simply opens the door to a new foodservice segment fit for locations that previously had nothing to do with food and beverages. The labor will be simply in servicing machines.
Tell me what you think.
Jody
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