Technology
White Castle to pilot kitchen robot in 10 more units
October 27, 2020
White Castle is adding as many as 10 more restaurants to its test of Miso Robotics Flippy Robot-on-a-Rail, which it began testing in several undisclosed Midwest White Castle locations earlier this fall, according to a news release from Miso Robotics in Pasadena, California. Miso Robotics said earlier this month that it was making the same robotic arm available industry-wide.
Miso Robotics said that White Castle leadership decided to test the robot as it first said it would this past July because the pandemic "was presenting new constraints for restaurant success," the release said.
"Artificial intelligence and automation have been an area White Castle has wanted to experiment with to optimize our operations and provide a better work environment for our team members," White Castle CEO Lisa Ingram, said in the release. "We believe technology like Flippy ROAR can improve customer service and kitchen operation.
"This pilot is putting us on that path — and we couldn't be more pleased to continue our work with Miso Robotics and pave the way for greater adoption of cutting-edge technology in the fast-food industry."
Miso said the robot has allowed for better staffing for late-night shifts at White Castle, which has a number of 24-hour locations. Miso said the robot's presence has allowed team members to pay more attention to order fulfillment for delivery and takeout.
Miso Robotics' improvements to its robotic platform and software has allowed for the integration of delivery applications to synchronize order completion with driver pickup time, helping also improve prep line flow and order freshness. Production speeds are also being tracked, reaching an average of 360 baskets of fried foods a day, Miso Robotics said.
In total, approximately 14,580 pounds of food have been handled since the pilot started in late September 2020 at White Castle said Buck Jordan, President and Chairman of Miso Robotics.
"Our platform has become increasingly powerful and intelligent – allowing us to quickly scale, integrate into operations and show our ability to help keep customer service standards on par with White Castle's industry reputation of excellence," Jordan said in the news release.
The 10 new locations will have Flippy ROAR up and running next year, though a more detailed date was not provided.
Ohio-based White Castle owns and operates more than 365 restaurants, mostly in the Midwest U.S.
