Technology

Burger-flipping robot maker intros kitchen-grilling SaaS

Miso Robotics said its SaaS grilling platform enhances cooking safety, consistency and efficiency. (Provided)

May 5, 2021

In the current ultra-tight restaurant labor market, some of the hardest QSR positions to fill are those for cooks and other key kitchen personnel. That's why the latest launch from Pasadena, California-based foodservice automation company, Miso Robotics, might pique the interests of an increasing number of operators seeking much-needed help in their kitchens.

Miso has launched a standalone software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering, called CookRight, that packed with expanded cooking capabilities and accessible through a subscription model, according to a press release. The company said CookRight is the world's first AI-powered cooking platform able to automatically identify and track products and tasks.

CookRight's first platform application is focused on the grill, where its makers said it offers new levels of precision, quality and efficiency to restaurants. Miso Robotics added that its this data-driven operational approach can help brand improve customer satisfaction and curb costs at a time when the demand to meet both those needs may be at an all-time high.

The food service industry has historically relied exclusively on humans to manually follow a cooking workflow that adheres to cooking standards set by operators and health officials. But Miso said the traditional practices of clocks, timers or even a cook's intuition to flip or remove grill items is a recipe for inconsistency and potentially unsafely prepared foods. The company's newest CookRight product is designed to take the guesswork and variability out of the cooking process, Miso said. In fact, as previously reported on QSRweb, Flippy (the burger-flipping robot from Miso Robotics being used at some chains, like White Castle) has used the software to deliver its services in the kitchen.

The CookRight product is designed to cook a wide range of items consistently, while also providing operational data that improves processes in stores.

"The beauty of CookRight and its machine learning capabilities is that it can literally learn how to identify any item placed on a grill and know how long it needs to be cooked, moved or flipped in real-time," Buck Jordan, president and chairman of Miso Robotics, said in the release. "CookRight obtains unprecedented amounts of information on kitchen operations that have never been captured before — leading to better food for customers, a better workplace for kitchen staff and cost savings for restaurant owners. It's the partner restaurant operators and staff need in the kitchen. This is a critical time for the industry and solutions like CookRight can truly turn the tide and move us into recovery."