This California-based company deals with automating the world of Catering in the less complex operations of food preparation . In addition to robotic hardware solutions they also deal with software integration with management programs , so as to create an end-to-end system for Restaurants or Hotels .

The complexity and reliability of the systems is so high that one could fully roboticise, with their systems , fast food restaurants with food preparations that are not complex or poorly supervised by humans .

It might seem like yet another showcase technology but, thinking about it , it could create a much more organized and waste-conscious food processing system .

A major international Food & Beverage player is carefully experimenting with this new technology : Jack in The Box ; a U.S. chain.

Jack In The Box is the latest restaurant chain to test kitchen automation from Miso Robotics

If you haven’t heard of Flippy yet, chances are you will soon. The food processor from Miso Robotics has taken over fry stations in much of the White Castle system, and now Jack in the Box JACK +0.3% is testing the technology.

Miso today announced a partnership with the California-based chain to test Flippy 2 and Sippy products at one of its independent restaurants in San Diego. Flippy 2 will leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision and data analysis to work on the fryer, while Sippy will do the same to facilitate the beverage station.

Flippy 2 will certainly have its hands full with Jack in the Box’s notoriously rich menu, and will be able to handle items such as chips, tacos, and chicken nuggets. Meanwhile, Sippy will integrate with the restaurant’s point-of-sale system to automatically fulfill drink orders at the time of purchase.

Jack in the Box will test the integration of Flippy 2 and Sippy into its operations and measure the benefits of a connected kitchen, as well as employees no longer employed in the kitchen to spend more time in contact with customers. If the company likes what it sees, a broader implementation will be possible “in the coming months,” a press release says.

Automation of some tactical tasks is undoubtedly desirable as the industry continues to struggle with significant labor shortages and never-before-high layoff rates. Operators expect labor shortages to continue this year, and most (including 78 percent of fast food operators ) plan to leverage automation to fill these gaps, according to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry 2022 report. Two-thirds of restaurant operators say technology and automation will become more common from this year.

LA PARTE OSCURA

Leonard Comma, the CEO of Jack in the Box himself, admitted the possibility of replacing cashiers and other employees with self-service stations and other types of automated solutions. The reason for this is the possible increase in minimum wage, which is expected to change during 2018 in 18 states, including California, the realm of Jack in the Box (the chain’s headquarters is in San Diego, but its restaurants are spread across other West Coast states and Texas). It is very likely that the minimum hourly wage for California workers will rise to $15, and faced with this prospect, the CEO has no doubts: “If labor costs go up, it makes sense to replace employees with machines.”

A theme that with the same issue but triggered for different reasons , namely the lack of personnel in the F&B sector , will become very much felt in Italy as well and could become a model to follow