FEDA NEWS & VIEWS
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Embracing the Robotic Future
Manufacturers can help prepare dealers to sell kitchen robots to operators, cementing our place in the industry as next-generation kitchens develop.
In 2022, not a single product featured in the National Restaurant Association’s Kitchen Innovation Awards was a robotic solution. Just a year later, fi ve of the winners had robotic components. It’s not just accolades and honors though,
foodservice operators are taking the technology and possibilities seriously. In just the past year, Chipotle began testing a tortilla chip-making robot and McDonald’s opened its first fully automated location in Texas. It makes sense why this is happening now. With the number of people working in foodservice still below pre-pandemic levels and labor costs soaring — fast food workers in California will begin earning a $20 minimum wage in April 2024 — more operators see the potential of robotic equipment. Our industry is being challenged to step up and provide solutions to these labor pains, and it appears that robotics will be an important part of our future. As manufacturers, we should help dealers understand our robotic equipment and provide them with the information and technical know-how they need to sell to operators. If we don’t take these steps now, we risk opening the door for tech companies to enter our industry and take our business. As they have in other industries, tech companies will seek out a robotic solution overseas and then integrate it into fryers, washing machines or other foodservice equipment to sell as a complete solution with an overly expensive lease. In this scenario, dealers would lose out on not only the sale of the robotic technology but also the cooking or preparation equipment it is attached to. On the manufacturing end, we should aim for robotic solutions that make sense for operators. A newly built
“As manufacturers, we should help dealers understand our robotic equipment and provide them with the information and technical know-how they need to sell to operators.”
kitchen designed around automation is exciting, but it’s not practical or cost-effective for most of the nearly 700,000 restaurants already operating in the United States. Products that work with existing equipment are often more desirable and have a shorter return on investment, while still offering the labor savings operators need. Tech companies typically want to own the whole solution, so this is an important area where manufacturers and dealers can make their difference known. From talking with dealers, I know this transition is overwhelming for many. There are always worries new technology will not perform as expected, and removing human operation concedes the control and oversight we are all used to having. But, in practice, robots are generally very simple. They only do what they are programmed to do, so the potential faults are limited to the software. Since we are ingrained in the foodservice industry, understand the requirements of operators and build the equipment, it makes sense for manufacturers to develop the software as well. Dealers can have peace of mind knowing that every element of the equipment they are selling is made by an established company.
Kitchen robots are still a new innovation, but the technology is maturing rapidly. There are now multiple restaurant chains building proof-of-concept kitchens to work out how robots can interact and work alongside humans in a physical space. Operators are proceeding with caution, but the need is clear, and I anticipate many will be out of the testing phase within a year. This could be the next great area of growth for manufacturers and dealers, so let’s make sure we’re ready.
Jennifer Ward is the chief revenue officer for Atosa, a FEDA manufacturer member based in California.
6 FEDA News & Views
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
