Never fear; new gear is here! Brave, new world of interactive equipment, robotics offers relief for harried operators

Nation's Restaurant News, March 29, 2004 by Paul Frumkin

While the foodservice industry historically has been slow to embrace technological advances in both the front- and back-of-the-house, experts indicate that a brave new world finally may be dawning as an increasing number of restaurateurs exploit a new generation of equipment.

Spurred by such issues as food safety, labor costs and space constraints and by intensifying competition across all industry segments, traditional "high-touch, low-tech" operators are beginning to turn to state-of-the-art equipment and even robotics to help address business challenges.

The unfolding revolution in equipment for kitchens and dining rooms has yielded several innovations that are helping to make operations more efficient and provide a more satisfying experience for the customer.

For example, refrigeration units can alert an operator or a manufacturer if the temperature is off by just a few degrees, thus helping to ensure food safety. Interactive kiosks can upsell menu items to guests while smart chips instantly locate where a customer is seated in the restaurant, allowing servers to deliver food to the correct table. Modular cooking equipment can be custom-designed to maximize limited space in a kitchen, while ultraviolet exhaust hoods help counteract smoke and odors in the kitchen.

At the same time, the data protocols developed by the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers, or NAFEM, have established a common language and set of standards for back-of-the-house equipment, helping to revolutionize the way operators monitor their equipment.

Recent advances in technology also are prompting chain operators to revisit a familiar but largely unrealized concept. Several quick-service operators--most notably McDonald's--are exploring the potential for robotic or automated technology in the kitchen and dining area, an event that many say is long overdue.

With regard to automation, "if we look at our industry in comparison with other industries, we're still in the dark ages," says Foster Frable Jr., president of the White Plains, N.Y.-based foodservice consulting firm Clevenger Frable LaValle. "We're finally beginning to see the applications that have been utilized in other fields being applied to the foodservice industry."

The vending industry has embraced automated technology and taken it to a new level, explains Frable, who also is a columnist for Nation's Restaurant News. "You can get hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, all through vending machines," he points out. "Even a machine selling soft-serve ice cream is in test."

Convenience stores are taking a shot at automation, too. Memphis, Tenn.-based SmartMart International has developed a fully automated, drive-thru convenience store. Guests are able to pull up to the drive-thru, select the items they want and pay with cash or credit and debit cards. The operation's more than 1,000 items include alcohol and cigarettes, although customers must be able to verify their age by transmitting a photograph to a call center before the items can be purchased.

However, McDonald's was the focus of the foodservice industry's attention a few weeks ago when the burger behemoth rolled out three key pieces of automated equipment at a single outlet in St. Charles, Ill. The restaurant, which is located near the chain's headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., features a self-ordering kiosk; a "vertical grill," which prepares hamburgers; and an "autofryer," which makes French fries and hash browns. The three pieces of equipment had been in test over the past year or so at McDonald's test facility in Romeoville, Ill., and individually at a handful of company units around the country. The St. Charles restaurant, however, marks the public debut of all three together.

The Swedish-designed vertical grill is fed hamburger patties by a conveyor belt that links a freezer unit to the grill. While the cooking time for the patties is the same as with McDonald's clamshell grill, it is easier to use and safer for employees, according to William Whitman, McDonald's director of communications.

Another piece of kitchen equipment under scrutiny at McDonald's is the autofry system. The robotic machine cooks, salts and bags French fries and hash browns. Once an order has been placed, the frozen fries or hash browns are dropped into the fryer. When the fries or hash browns are done, a robotic arm lifts them out of the oil and places them in boxes. The equipment is an improvement over the old batch-cooking system in that it provides for a fresher product as well as minimal exposure to hot surfaces for staffers, Whitman said.

The quick-service burger chain also has been testing self-service kiosks in the front-of-the-house. The kiosks, which feature McDonald's entire menu, allow customers to punch in their orders on a touch screen, pay and receive a receipt. While the machines at the St. Charles unit currently accept cash only, they have the capability to accept credit and debit cards.

The St. Charles McDonald's houses six kiosks--four at the counter and two in the children's Play Place. While customers using the counter units pick up their orders in the standard way, orders are delivered to parents using the kiosks in the Play Place so they don't have to leave their children alone.