2022 could go down as the year of the robot.
Amid ongoing staffing struggles, rising costs and technological advances, businesses of all kinds, including restaurants, are letting machines take on a bigger role in their operations.
In the first quarter of this year, North American companies ordered 11,600 industrial robots—a 28% year-over-year increase and a new record, according to the International Federation of Robotics. In November, the nonprofit group noted that demand for food and drink robots in particular was growing “tremendously,” predicting double-digit annual increases going forward.
That growth has been hard to miss (especially if you were at the National Restaurant Association Show last month). In the past week alone, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express and Wing Zone unveiled robots that do everything from cook rice to deliver sandwiches. They join hundreds of other chains, independent restaurants and other food businesses that have added robots over the past few years.
Here’s a look at what this new, automated workforce is doing for the industry.
Back-of-house bots
Robots are making their deepest inroads in the kitchen, where they’re being used to speed up operations and take a load off staff while remaining mostly invisible to customers.
Miso Robotics’ Flippy has become the poster child for this sort of automation. The adaptable, AI-powered arm is being tested by at least four chains—White Castle, Chipotle, Jack in the Box and Wing Zone—to cook a variety of food, from fries and onion rings at White Castle to tortilla chips at Chipotle.
In tests at about a dozen locations over the past two years, White Castle has found that Flippy improves operations and worker productivity.
“We’re able to stay more on topic and multitask a little easier,” White Castle Crew Manager Jalene Edwards told Restaurant Business in late 2020. “It’s an extra person for us, essentially.”
The 350-unit chain plans to install the bot at 100 more restaurants over the next few years. The upstart Wing Zone, meanwhile, will make Flippy a standard feature in all of its new stores.
Flippy slides along an overhead rail to save floor space in the kitchen. / GIF courtesy of Miso Robotics
In terms of the sheer number of working robots, Panda Express might have Flippy beat. The 2,316-unit chain revealed last week that 120 locations are already using the Panda Auto Wok, or PAW, a proprietary robotic wok that’s been under development since 2015. Another 240 Panda Expresses will get a PAW this year.
PAW automates parts of the wok-handling process, reducing cooking time by 25% and eliminating multiple steps for staff, the chain said.
PAW can mix ingredients and cook large batches of starches. / Photograph courtesy of Panda Express
Even the military is exploring the use of robots to help feed recruits. The Department of Defense this year purchased 10 robotic chefs from a company called Dexai Robotics and is installing them in cafeterias at some of its U.S. bases. The robotic arm can use standard kitchen utensils and can prepare a variety of meals and cuisine types.
“Our goal is to make our operations more efficient, safer, easier, and more sustainable,” said Jim Krueger, chief of Air Force food and beverage policy, procedures and strategic initiatives, in a statement.
Dexai's bot, nicknamed "Alfred," in action at Travis Air Force Base. / Photograph courtesy of Dexai Robotics
Robots have also made their way to the beverage side. The Halal Guys has been adding Botrista’s DrinkBot to all of its 91 restaurants, allowing them to offer premium blended drinks, like teas and lemonades, with little operational lift. Employees simply press a button on the bot to tell it what drink to make. In one test, the drinks helped raise average checks by 17% year over year.
DrinkBot adds 12 new beverages to The Halal Guys' menu. / Photograph courtesy of The Halal Guys
Jack in the Box, meanwhile, plans to test Flippy’s drink-dispensing sister, Sippy, to automatically pour and seal drinks. And Panera Bread is using yet another Miso product, CookRight Coffee, to monitor the volume and freshness of its brews at some locations.
“CookRight Coffee is a game-changer when it comes to convenience and operational efficiency,” said George Hanson, Panera’s SVP and chief digital officer, in a statement. “We are extremely excited to take our coffee station into the future with Miso Robotics.”
Sippy automatically pours and seals beverages. / Photograph courtesy of Miso Robotics
Front-of-house bots
A number of chains and independents are investing in robots that can work in the dining room with the goal of providing a better experience for both workers and guests.
Chili’s has made the most headway in this area with Rita, a tray on wheels made by Bear Robotics that can guide customers to their table, bring them their food and even sing “Happy Birthday.” The chain recently brought Rita to 51 more locations after a successful test at 10, and has found that the bot is popular among staff and customers alike.
“What she does is she just really helps our team members to provide a better experience,” said Wade Allen, SVP of innovation for Chili’s parent Brinker International.
Chili's Rita robot can help seat guests. / Photograph courtesy of Chili's
Servers work in tandem with Rita, joining it tableside to help dish out the food. But the bot ultimately allows them to spend more time on the floor, which means they can cover more tables, provide better service and potentially earn higher tips.
Applebee’s is also eyeing bots as a solution to a nagging staffing gap, Dine Brands CEO John Peyton said last month. In use at a single location, the robot can deliver food and clear dirty dishes. “That can help servers become more productive and efficient,” Peyton said.
Denny’s, BurgerFi, California Pizza Kitchen and Ledo Pizza are using similar technology.
While most restaurants insist that robots are not meant to replace human workers, the machines are allowing many to get by with less help.
At the Tastee Spoon, a Caribbean fusion restaurant in Dunwoody, Ga., a robotic server is doing the jobs of two human staffers in the 55-seat dining room.
If it weren’t for the bot, “I’d be looking for people,” said owner Raymone Williams. “Not that you’re gonna find them. But I’d be looking for people to work.”
Delivery bots
Robots are also starting to hit the roads and sidewalks as couriers, which could help ease driver shortages and bring down the extravagant cost of delivering food.
Chick-fil-A made a splash last week when it announced it was testing robot delivery at some locations in California, Texas and Florida. It wants to see if the machines, made by Refraction AI, can help cut costs and improve operations.
Domino’s has also been conducting tests in Houston with self-delivery vehicles made by Nuro. The bot was even featured in a TV commercial. While wider implementation appears to be a ways off, it could help with the chain’s problems finding delivery drivers.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has also invested in Nuro, and 7-Eleven in December said it would start using Nuro vehicles to cart goods to customers in Silicon Valley.
Customers enter a code to retrieve their pizza from the Nuro bot. / Photograph courtesy of Domino's
Companies with a particular interest in food delivery, like delivery companies and ghost kitchens, have also been eager to take robots for a spin. Most recently, Uber Eats launched a pilot in LA using both robots and self-driving vehicles to deliver food. DoorDash is developing its own delivery bots. And ghost kitchen companies including Reef, C3 and Kitchen United have also tested the technology.
Robotic couriers have taken off especially fast on college campuses, where distances are shorter and there are fewer obstacles. College foodservice operator Sodexo has invested in a robotics company Kiwibot and plans to bring its rovers to 50 campuses this year.
Kiwibot is coming to more college campuses this year. / Photograph courtesy of Kiwibot
Some restaurants are even testing airborne robot deliveries. El Pollo Loco last summer began using drones from a company called Flytrex to deliver meals in Southern California, claiming to be the first U.S. chain to test "door-to-backyard drone delivery." It said it believed drones could reduce the cost of delivery by 30%. Chili’s has also tested drone delivery with Flytrex.
A Flytrex drone lands at El Pollo Loco. / Photograph courtesy of El Pollo Loco
Despite the recent progress in robotic delivery, these bots have a longer way to go than their in-restaurant counterparts. Few, if any, of the machines are fully autonomous yet: Human operators are usually monitoring the bots from afar and can take control if they run into trouble. They also face a lot of literal hurdles, like inclement weather and vandalism.