Croatian Restaurant Offers One-Pot Menu Cooked by Robotic Chef

A bit of a cook myself, with interest in the dynamics of  'one-pot' cooking. (or minimal pot)  So appreciate what it takes and the results.  Robotics will become a big component.

 Croatian Restaurant Offers One-Pot Menu Cooked by Robotic Chef

Reuters, Antonio Bronic, February 10, 2023

At the BOTS&POTS Sci-Food bistro in Zagreb, Croatia, diners can choose from around 70 one-pot meals cooked by a robotic chef. The bistro's five GammaChef robots can make an entire one-pot meal from fresh ingredients, which are loaded into the devices by humans. The rest of the process, including adding oil and seasoning, is handled entirely by the robots. BOTS&POTS co-owner Hrvoje Bujas said, "We're considering expanding our business model via franchise. One such restaurant with five robots can be run by a single person. Our final goal is to create a 'no waiter, no chef, no cash' space where you order, get, and pay for food without human contact." ... ' 

Miso Robotics at a Panera

Further goes automation of fast food and drink

Panera will test an AI coffee system from the makers of the Flippy burger bot   in Engadget

Miso Robotics' CookRight Coffee is designed to help restaurants run more efficiently.

Miso Robotics, the company that built a robot burger flipper in use at White Castle and a tortilla chip maker Chipotle is testing, has turned its attention to coffee. Its AI-powered CookRight Coffee system will monitor temperature, volume and time data. It will blend those metrics with predictive analytics to deliver cups of java. Miso suggests the system could help restaurants run more efficiently.

Panera Bread will be the first to test and evaluate CookRight Coffee before determining how to deploy the system. Miso says the product will nullify the need for workers to manually check the coffee urns and will brew fresh coffee at the right time. The system will also support Panera's Unlimited Sip Club plan, a subscription service that allows customers to drink as much coffee and tea as they want at the chain for $9 per month.

“When we announced the CookRight platform in 2021, we knew we could apply it to various stations at a restaurant as the product developed, and we saw an immediate need for it at the coffee station," Miso CEO Mike Bell said in a statement.   .... ' 

Restaurants and Metaverse Marketing

 Games and more envisioned.  

Virtual Stores Test Consumers’ Appetite for Metaverse Marketing

Wendy’s and Chipotle join a growing number of companies exploring the potential of virtual worlds

Restaurants' Virtual Stores Test Consumers' Appetite for Metaverse Marketing

The Wall Street Journal,  Ann-Marie Alcántara,  April 5, 2022

Fast-food chains are testing virtual stores to explore the metaverse's marketing potential. Wendy's opened a virtual restaurant in Meta's Horizon Worlds virtual reality game; visitors can engage in basketball-themed gameplay near the simulated establishment. Wendy's Carl Loredo said the chain will track engagement metrics, including how many people visit the virtual restaurant or post about it on social media, and how many interact with its food-ordering application. Chipotle Mexican Grill will unveil a virtual outlet simulating its original Denver restaurant on the Roblox gaming platform; players who successfully roll virtual burritos in the game will earn "Burrito Bucks" good for real-world items at Chipotle restaurants. Said Chipotle's Chris Brandt, "This promotion and this initiative that we have with Roblox really starts to separate itself from a lot of what other people are doing, and really blur that line between the real world and the metaverse."  .... '

Now we are Cooking with Lasers

 A long time amateur chef

Now We're Cooking With Lasers   By Columbia Engineering, September 20, 2021

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have digitized food creation and cooking processes, using 3D printing technology to tailor food shape and texture and lasers of various wavelengths to cook it.

"Precision Cooking for Printed Foods via Multiwavelength Lasers,"    Science of Food, explores various modalities of cooking. The researchers printed chicken samples as a test bed and assessed a range of parameters. They found that blue lasers (445 nm) are best for penetrative cooking, and infrared lasers (980 nm and 10.6 μm) best for browning. Laser-cooked meat shrinks 50% less and retains double the moisture as meat cooked in conventional ovens.

"Our two blind taste-testers preferred laser-cooked meat to the conventionally cooked samples, which shows promise for this burgeoning technology," says Jonathan Blutinger, a Ph.D. student in the Creative Machines Lab at Columbia University.

 "What we still don't have is what we call 'Food CAD,' sort of the Photoshop of food," says Professor Hod Lipson, lead author of the study. "We need a high level software that enables people who are not programmers or software developers to design the foods they want. And then we need a place where people can share digital recipes, like we share music."

From Columbia Engineering   View Full Article

Chipotele Wants to use Autonomous Nuro Delivery

 Surprising to me, given the number of delivery services out there.   Note the use of Nuro, which many retailers have tested.   Still want to  see one of these operating autonomously, have not heard much new of late about its operations. 

Chipotle is the latest company to get behind robot cars. Here’s why

Chipotle just invested big in an autonomous delivery company. Their CTO explains why and what the process will look like.

By Mark Wilson

Nuro is the autonomous vehicle company that big brands love. With a focus on delivery, Nuro’s cute, driverless vehicle that’s optimized to hold goods has attracted partnerships with Walmart, Kroger, and CVS, along with over $1 billion in funding since 2017.

This week, Chipotle joined the list of Nuro’s backers, investing an undisclosed amount in the company’s latest round of funding.

Nuro has been a golden child of the startup world since 2017. Like many other AV startups, it’s been testing its technologies tentatively over several years to polish them for wider release. The strategy seems to be paying off for Nuro. Its Nuro R2 vehicle has become the first autonomous car approved to operate without a driver on roads across three different states (California, Arizona, and Texas).  ... " 

White Castle Fast Food Using Flippy Robot

Inevitable to see more of these robotic solutions for food preparation, here the most common example. 

White Castle Plans to Use Robot in More Locations

Forbes, By Lana Bandoim

The White Castle restaurant chain said it is expanding the use of the Flippy Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR) system to more U.S. locations, after a successful test pilot in one establishment. Developer Miso Robotics said the robot can glide across multiple workstations on a rail, easing storage and use, while relying on artificial intelligence and machine learning to cook food. Miso said, "Capable of identifying current temperatures, predicting time remaining to meet consistency in taste perfection, and alerting staff of unsafe internal cooking temperatures, ROAR features powerful image processing and depth perception from Intel RealSense technology." White Castle intends to use Flippy as a kitchen assistant during night shifts.  .... ' 

AI and Restaurants

Instructive insights about an industry that is now under considerable pressure.

  ... AI Issues and Advances in the Restaurant and QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) Industry
Via Northwestern and Platt Institute

The Retail Analytics Council (RAC) recently hosted a roundtable discussion regarding AI in the restaurant and quick service restaurant industry. 

Five panelists were asked to respond to a series of questions. Generally, the questions probed the participants’ thoughts on the challenges and successes with AI implementation in the restaurant and QSR space.

Read the Roundtable:   
"AI Issues and Advances in the Restaurant and QSR Industry"  (20 pages) 
Panelists include:
Zipporah Allen, Vice President, Digital Experiences, Taco Bell
Nitin Chaturvedi, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, KFC Global
Sherif Mityas, Former Chief Experience Officer, TGI FRIDAYS
Mark Patton, Chief Technology Officer, Studio Movie Grill
Grant Riewe, Senior Digital Expert and Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company

Read: AI Issues and Advances in the Restaurant and QSR Industry

The Retail Analytics Council (RAC) is the leading organization focused on the study of consumer shopping behavior across retail platforms and the impact of technology. Established in August 2014, RAC is an initiative between Medill’s Integrated Marketing Communications department, Northwestern University, and the Platt Retail Institute.
Platt Retail Institute Offices... 

Zagat Future of Dining

How much will people be comfortable with this future,  and what will that imply?

Small Business Labs looks at Zagata Future of Dining Study.

Zagat's Future of Dining Study
Zagat, the restaurant review site favored by foodies, recently released a Future of Dining Study.

The study looks at the impact of COVID-19 on the eating habits of consumers and how they may evolve post-COVID.    ... "

Zagat Looks at the Future of Dining

The Small Business Lab looks at Zagats future of dining study.  Some instructive thoughts about where this is all moving to.

"...Zagat, the restaurant review site favored by foodies, recently released a Future of Dining Study. 
The study looks at the impact of COVID-19 on the eating habits of consumers and how they may evolve post-COVID.    ... " 

And Zagat's full study.

McDonald’s Publishes Playbook for reopening Restaurants

Useful thoughts from a major player.  My own observation is that they have done an excellent job with the drive-through and pickup only operation.

McDonald’s publishes playbook for reopening restaurants
 With discussion and 17 expert comments in Retailwire
by George Anderson

McDonald’s, like many companies across the U.S., is chomping at the bit to get back to its normal business, but the new normal described in the fast-food giant’s guide to reopening restaurants looks a lot different than the one that existed before the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The “The Dine-In Reopening Playbook” published for franchisees and company-owned restaurant managers describes in detail the process for welcoming customers back to eat at the chain’s more than 14,000 U.S. locations.

The process begins with regional officials from McDonald’s visiting restaurants once local or state government announce an easing of COVID-19-related restrictions.  The company’s representative consults with franchisees to determine whether or not to reopen for dine-in customers.  ....  " 

Predictions and Approaches for Impacted Industries

Very nicely done survey of problems and potential solutions, details at the link.  Now that we have bought into the problem, we need to find good and quick solutions to reset.  Subscribe to his blog there are as well.  Via Walter Riker.

Peter H. Diamandis is the founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions. He is also the executive founder of Singularity University, a graduate-level Silicon Valley institution that counsels the world's leaders on exponentially growing technologies. .... 

 Subscribe to his blog at the link.

4 INDUSTRIES IMPACTED & WHAT’S NEXT?
Exponential tech has been disrupting traditional industries at an ever-increasing pace.  

… And the pandemic has basically put these changes into hyperspeed. Never have we had the opportunity to rewrite entire sectors, redefine the problems they address, and reinvent their solutions.

This blog dives into COVID-19 industry impacts, paradigm shifts, and monumental business opportunities across 4 major industries:

Brick-and-Mortar Retail
Restaurants & Dining
Commercial Real Estate & Offices
Education

Next week, we’ll dive into two more industries prime for disruption, namely healthcare and events.

As my friend Phillip Stutts summarized, “consumers are nervous, scared and need certainty.”  What does this mean for you as an entrepreneur? The “opportunity thesis” is to offer consumers:

Safety (safety to work and eat at home, and products that don't compromise health);
Trust (that you care about your customers & are not in it for a quick buck);
Control and consistency (‘you’ve got my back,’ and ‘I know what I’m getting’).

Let’s dive in….  "

McDonald's Use of Sales AI

Note the use of sensor acquisition to drive sales category with AI methods.  Lots of data there, and many different kinds of components.   Have always respected McDonald's tech work.

Would You Like Fries With That? McDonald's Already Knows the Answer
The New York Times
By David Yaffe-Bellany

McDonald's is acquiring companies that develop artificial intelligence and machine learning to make the company more like Amazon. Its incorporation of technology is aimed at reversing its recent loss of customers, resulting in restaurants closing and sales declining. The company is incorporating technologies such as digital boards that promote its products, taking into account environmental factors like the weather and the length of the wait for service. The company has tested algorithms at its drive-throughs that capture license-plate numbers, so the restaurant can list recommended purchases personalized to a customer's previous orders, as long as the person agrees allow the fast-food chain to store that data. McDonald's also recently tested voice recognition at certain outlets, with the goal of deploying a faster order-taking system. Regarding the use of new technologies, the company’s CIO, Daniel Henry, said, “You just grow to expect that in other parts of your life ... We don’t think food should be any different than what you buy on Amazon."  ... '

McD's to Buy Voice AI Assistant

Another indication of the increasing use of voice interfaces and AI. In my recent experiments with voice in business, the need for accuracy in translation has become clear.

McDonald's Doubles Down on Tech With Voice AI Acquisition in Wired
The Golden Arches will acquire Apprente, a "sound-to-meaning" voice assistant, to speed up its drive-thru.

When McDonald's spent over $300 million on big data crunching startup Dynamic Yield earlier this year, the move came as something of a surprise. The follow-up should not. Today the Golden Arches are announcing the acquisition of Apprente, a voice AI system focused on fast food ordering. It's a niche, but it just paid off.

Specific terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed. But the synergies are at least more immediately understandable. Apprente's speech-based artificial intelligence deals within the relatively narrow confines of quick-service restaurants. As with Dynamic Yield's decision engine, which switches up menu items based on what it thinks consumers want at any given time and location, Apprente's ultimate goal is to increase the speed of any given transaction. Anyone who's had to repeat their order into a squawking speaker knows that pain.  .... " 

Cloud Kitchens

Been a close watcher, but no practitioner of restaurant world.  Most recently seen: Cloud Kitchens.  Not new, but their digital implementation could be.  Further automation of selection cooking, assembly, delivery?

Are cloud kitchens the next evolution of food delivery?  in Retailwire with expert comments:   By Tom Ryan

Cloud kitchens, which offer shareable cooking facilities to support food delivery, are just getting started but are already seen by some as a threat to restaurants and the overall grocery channel.

Also called ghost, virtual and dark kitchens, cloud kitchens are basically delivery-only restaurants. Similar to co-working spaces, the centralized cooking spaces gain efficiencies by being lined up assembly-like side by side. The sole on-the-go focus allows the businesses to build in further workflow efficiencies. .... " 

Automated Order Taking

Decreasing errors, wait times,  learning patterns to anticipate demand.

Automated Order Takers May Reshape Future of Drive-Through Restaurants
Medill Reports    By Yixuan Xie

Three artificial intelligence (AI) companies are developing AI-powered voice assistants to improve order-taking at drive-through restaurants. Valyant AI has piloted one assistant to take breakfast orders at an eatery in Colorado, which experienced a 10% to 25% reduction in average wait time. Valyant AI CEO Rod Carpenter said, "While our AI is carrying on a conversation with the customer, the employees are listening to the exchange and actually preparing the food." Meanwhile, Encounter AI's assistant is designed to improve order accuracy, so food allergies and other potential problems are not overlooked; Encounter AI's Derrick Johnson said the AI's accuracy is continuously improving via machine learning. Meanwhile, the software firm Clinc hopes to augment the voice control capabilities of drive-through windows with its own AI, which learns from the different ways people order by analyzing sentence structure. .... "

McDonald's Acquires Dynamic Yield for Decision Logic

Companies leveraging advanced analytic methods for their data by acquisition.  Have recently stood in front of McDonald's store kiosk and after looking for the coffee I wanted, wondered  what recommendation it should suggest, and what data and context it had at hand to make that recommendation.

McDonald's Bites on BigData with $300 Million Acquisition By Brian Barrett in Wired  

Mention McDonald’s to someone today, and they're more likely to think about Big Mac than Big Data. But that could soon change: The fast-food giant has embraced machine learning, in a fittingly super-sized way.

McDonald’s is set to announce that it has reached an agreement to acquire Dynamic Yield, a startup based in Tel Aviv that provides retailers with algorithmically driven "decision logic" technology. When you add an item to an online shopping cart, it’s the tech that nudges you about what other customers bought as well. Dynamic Yield reportedly had been recently valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars; people familiar with the details of the McDonald’s offer put it at over $300 million. That would make it the company's largest purchase since it acquired Boston Market in 1999.  ... " 

and also:

McDonald’s to use A.I. to tempt you into extra purchases at the drive-thru  By Trevor Mogg in DigitalTrends   ...  "

Advanced Burger Built by an Advanced Robot

Been reading about entry level labor and autonomous machines. Some solutions have been around for some time, and the general repetitiveness of the requirements make it an obvious solution.  Here more complex capabilities than just frying.  Advanced prep and assembly.  Expect it.

The First Burger Built By A Robot Is About To Hit The Bay Area - Bloomberg Quint

(Bloomberg) -- On June 27, the world’s first robot-crafted burger will roll off a conveyor belt in San Francisco and into the hands of the public.  (Images at the link) 

You could call it the freshest burger on Earth.

The product, from Bay Area-based Creator, a culinary robotics company, is assembled and cooked in a machine that contains 20 computers, 350 sensors, and 50 actuator mechanisms. It does everything from slicing and toasting the brioche bun to adding toppings (to order) and seasoning and cooking the patties, all in five minutes. The meat is ground to order—why it’s touted as so fresh—and sourced from premium ingredients. It emerges from the machine piled with tomatoes and lettuce, sprinkled with seasonings, and drizzled with sauces, at which point it’s transferred by human hands to the customer. The price: $6.

Formerly known as Momentum Machines, Creator was founded by entrepreneur Alex Vardakostas in 2012. The 33-year-old has assembled an Avengers-like superteam of engineers, designers, and roboticists from Apple, Tesla, NASA, and Walt Disney Imagineering R&D. The team also includes alumni from elite restaurants such as Chez Panisse, Momofuku, and SingleThread.   ... " 

Kroger Tests Kitchen 1883 Restaurant Concept

Had seen this done on the west coast, apparently with some success. ( At first I thought this would be in store or by store.  But that is unclear from the press release ) .  Comfort food makes sense, with regional and ethnic contributions. How can this be best linked to the store?

The Kroger Co. Introduces Restaurant Concept Kitchen 1883

CINCINNATI, Sept. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.'s (NYSE: KR) Culinary Development team today announced a new restaurant concept, Kitchen 1883, which offers a fresh take on new American comfort food. .... " 

http://www.kitchen1883.com/

First store in Union KY in Fall of 2017.

Quality Fast Food Delivery Automation

Automating Food Delivery

" ... Maple, a David Chang-backed restaurant in New York City, doesn’t have any tables, cash registers, or waiters. Instead, its customers order meals through its website or mobile app, and a fleet of bike couriers deliver them. By eliminating the dining room and bringing meals to you, Maple is betting that it can sell more meals per hour, using less real estate, than a traditional restaurant.

The current gold standard for zipping patrons through a lunch line (what the industry calls "throughput") is Chipotle. According to its 2014 annual report, Chipotle manages to serve 300 meals per hour—a transaction every 12 seconds—at its best-performing locations, and the chain is so obsessed with its productivity that it assigns employees efficiency roles with names like "linebacker." ... " 

McDonalds of the Future

In Retailwire: A look and discussion of the McDonald's of the Future.  New concepts and technologies built in.  Nothing about robot preparation, or other back of the house operations, which have big and controversial labor implications.   This is about food ordering through tablets and food concept changes.