We dive into how technology is shaping the future of fast food by helping the likes of Chipotle and White Castle more accurately prepare orders and save on labor costs.
This is part of our Future of Fast Food report. Download the full report.
In the future, fast food restaurants will have adapted their store layouts to rely exclusively on robotic food preparation to cook menu items. Robots will work in sync to fill orders, account for customer substitutions, and communicate with autonomous delivery vehicles to quickly bring customers fresh, accurate orders.
This is one of the key technologies that will shape the future of the fast food experience. Below, we dive into this technology: how it works, who has an edge, and how it’s changing the future of fast food.
WHAT IS THE ROBOTIC FOOD PREPARATION?
Robotic food preparation hardware companies develop robotic systems that leverage AI and machine learning to cook, assemble, and package meals. Cooking robots can cook food more consistently and with fewer errors (like over or undercooking), leading to less waste and higher customer satisfaction. Some can be retrofitted to existing kitchens, while others are stand-alone machines.
FIRST MOVERS
Over the past year, Miso Robotics has racked up a significant number of partnerships with national quick-service restaurant chains like Chipotle, White Castle, and Buffalo Wild Wings to automate cooking foods like tortilla chips, burgers, and chicken wings. In Q4’21, the company raised a $35M Series D round, bringing its total funding to $66M.
Source: Miso Robotics
While US brands have significantly ramped up on these partnerships in the last 12 months, cooking robots have already seen significant activity in regions like Asia. For instance, in 2020, KFC partnered with Hyundai Robotics in Korea to develop robot chefs.
To dig deeper into this market landscape and connect directly with vendors, CB Insights clients can check out the Automation in Restaurant Tech Expert Collection and interactive Market Map.
IMPLICATIONS
- While initial investments in these solutions can be expensive, national quick-service restaurant chains have begun significant partnerships and testing, paving the way for lower costs in the future. Leaders like Miso Robotics are looking to cut the cost of robots by a third to roughly $20K per robot.
- Restaurants that are looking to test robotic food preparation without fully investing in buying robotics should consider startups that offer Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) models. In many cases, the cost per hour is cheaper than a part-time employee.
- Robotic food preparation tech for performing a simple repetitive task efficiently, like flipping burgers or manning fryers, has seen the widest adoption in the space. Restaurants should think strategically about how robotic food preparation can be used in their current menus or how new menu items can be created to prioritize these preparation methods.
- Robotic food preparation can help reduce food waste. Because these robots reduce human error, like burning food or cross-contamination, they also help with margins by reducing food waste and enabling more standardized quality control across locations.
Read more in this report about how tech will shape the future of fast food, including:
- The metaverse, which will become an extension of the brand experience
- AI tongues and social listening to help brands quickly develop and test new menu items to meet changing consumer demands
- Conversational AI and AI recommendation engines will power online and in-store orders, allowing restaurants to upsell orders through personalized suggestions and prioritize labor for other customer service operations
- Autonomous delivery will help reduce reliance on gig workers
- NFT loyalty programs will create unique experiences and boost customer loyalty