What is fast food automation?
Fast food automation refers to any use of technology in a quick-serve restaurant (QSR) which simplifies, removes steps from, or eliminates a task for an employee. While our minds often jump directly to robotics, there is a range of automation already in the kitchen. Here are some examples of fast food automation that are already in use today:
A timer alarm which tells an employee when to remove fries from a fryer
As simple as this sound, a fryer that can hold its cook temperature and sound an alarm when the cook is complete is fast food automation. Without these features, an employee would be hovering over the fryer to ensure a proper cooking temperature is maintained. They would have to watch the fries cook the entire time to ensure that they are not undercooked or burned. With this simple form of fast food automation, an employee can use the entire cook time to perform other tasks.
A conveyor pizza oven
Again, not the first thing that comes to mind when we think of fast food automation but consider how a conveyor oven simplifies the task for employees. The oven temperature is set. The cook time is set based on conveyor speed. Since the pizza is in motion the entire time there is no need to keep an eye on the pizza to avoid undercooking or burning, and no need to rotate the pizza for uniform cooking. This opens up time for an employee to make more pizza, or perform other tasks in the kitchen while a pizza is cooking.
Flippy the Robot
Ok, here is an example of fast food automation the way we all picture it. Miso Robotics has been making waves since the 2018 install of their robot named Flippy at Caliburger in Pasadena, California. This application of fast food automation is a robot arm, with a spatula attachment, running the grill in a kitchen. Miso Robotics has also partnered with White Castle to cook their deep-fried products such as fries and onion rings.
Where does fast food automation leave employees of QSRs?
We tend to assume the worst case: replace employees with fast food automation, save money.
We do not doubt this may be the future of some businesses. There is a time and a place for everything. That said, we believe that in the business of making and serving food there will always need to be a human touch. If the objective is not to reduce employees, then why would fast food automation be a part of the future?
The best applications of fast food automation do not mean eliminating employees, but simply gaining more value from the team a business already has. Many of the jobs offered in a QSR kitchen are not the most desirable. With so many job opportunities, potential employees have the ability to choose roles that are more pleasant than doing dishes or standing over a hot grill. The jobs that are hardest to hire for, train, and retain employees for are the best jobs for fast food automation.
When using fast food automation to eliminate tasks that are hard to hire for, employees can be shifted to more valuable positions. Imagine if an employee was freed up to greet customers? Could they help keep your register queues orderly, and moving faster? Might they be available to help a customer find the bathroom? How might they be able to create a better overall experience for the customer? These types of roles significantly improve the customer experience. They are also the types of roles that make employees feel more valued and fulfilled, which will lead to better employee retention.
Why should QSRs implement fast food automation?
Implementation of fast food automation must be thought of in the same way as adding automation to factories. Consider the core tenets of The Goal by Eli Goldratt.
QSRs should implement fast food automation ONLY if it will:
Increase Throughput
Decrease Inventory
Decrease Operational Expense
We are beginning to see the early signs of fast food automation in the form of robot arms. Miso Robotics has had its robot named “Flippy” on a rail at a White Castle location for over a year. An article published in the Wall Street Journal describes how the robot works 23 hours a day taking no breaks except for one hour per day to be cleaned. White Castle plans to implement more systems across its network of restaurants. This is a shining example of what can be possible with fast food automation. Note that most articles on the topic of Flippy sight labor savings.
Do any of these articles describe increases in throughput? An improvement in throughput would mean that the robot can cook and serve more fries than its human counterparts in the same period without losing any product quality, and maybe even improving on it through greater consistency.
How can QSRs use fast food automation to increase throughput?
Fast food automation should be able to perform the same task in the same or less square footage and in less time. Said another way, fast food automation should cause increased production in the same kitchen. The very best applications of fast food automation are in environments where restaurant operators are trying to figure out how to push more product through their existing kitchens.
Let us imagine an existing kitchen running a single grill cooktop. Business is booming, and the grill always seems to be the bottleneck. One approach might be to add a second grill. In the typical kitchen, where is there room for a second grill? The perfect application of fast food automation would be to implement a system that significantly increases the output of the existing grill. Or perhaps it is a new grill, with the same footprint and implemented technology that increases the grill’s throughput.
A variation of the same theme: imagine the same kitchen was already running two grills. They can keep up with demand, but the business is interested in offering new menu items which will require a new piece of cooking equipment. There is no more room in the kitchen. This is another opportunity to ask if the two existing grills are being used as efficiently as possible. What if fast food automation was used to squeeze enough throughput out of one cooktop? A grill could be removed, making space for a new piece of cooking equipment, allowing a restaurant to diversify its menu.
Take-aways about fast food automation
Fast food automation has existed in the kitchen for a long time. It can be as simple as cooking equipment that automatically shuts off after it is done cooking, or as complex as a robotic chef.
The implementation of fast food automation does not mean cutting jobs, but rather the elimination of undesirable or repetitive tasks to make people available for more value-added roles.
The best use of fast food automation is to increase the throughput of a kitchen while keeping all the same existing resources.