Best Robotics & Automations Systems for Restaurants
by
Back of House Staff
Updated August 29th, 2023
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Robot uprising or hot new trend? It can be tough to tell these days, with robots and automation technology quickly becoming the new standard across a variety of industries and businesses. And the restaurant industry is no different. Automation has been able to do everything from making back of house operations more efficient to creating memorable front of house experiences.
When used in the right ways, robots and automation in the food service industry can make workplaces safer, maintain high levels of productivity and quality, and make a restaurant more profitable. Below are some of the best solutions on the market that are working to make robotics and automation more of a reality for restaurants across the country.
Backbar is a craft beverage dispenser designed to provide stability in venues regardless of business fluctuations. With a venue’s workflow in mind, Backbar allows you to serve craft cocktails, mocktails, specialty coffees, and juices at the touch of a button.
Bars, restaurants, hotels, and stadiums who are looking to maximize their beverage service with automation
Things to consider
This solution doesn’t completely remove the need for human bartenders — it’s simply an enhancement to alleviate backup during your most heavily trafficked hours of operation.
Where it excels
This technology can really help solve the problem of labor shortages when it comes to beverage service and cut down on waste by eliminating human error.
Feature overview
Automate your beverage workflow with POS integrations and automatic ingredient dispensing
Serve a wide variety of drinks and provide a highly customizable menu with the capacity to hold up to 28 shelf-stable ingredient bottles at one time
Hold up to 12 containers of non-shelf stable ingredients with built-in refrigerated storage
Keep your beverage service running smoothly with automatic low ingredient and empty bottle or container detection
Connect up to 8 syrup lines, soda and water, as well as specialized concentrates like cold brew
Predict demand for future orders by by automatically tracking inventory metrics like number of beverage orders and ingredient usage
Make smarter business decisions by tapping into other key metrics, such as beverage popularity, beverage orders by day/time, and drink make time
Onboarding and support
Strong team support is provided, as each venue is assigned a dedicated field service representative who will help troubleshoot any maintenance issue or request at no additional cost.
Pricing
Contact the Backbar team to schedule a demo and receive a personalized quote for your needs.
Bear Robotics’ hospitality robots are the perfect companion for covering large service areas, busy shifts, and big events. Whether you need help running food or bussing dishes, Bear Robotics will get you there more efficiently.
Enterprise solutions looking to save time and overcome labor shortages.
Things to consider
It can be pretty expensive, which makes it a cost-prohibitive solution for some.
Where it excels
Bear Robotics’ robots maximize efficiency in restaurants with a dedicated catering space by saving time on server tasks like delivering food and picking up plates.
Feature overview
Choose from three different types of machines depending on your needs: Servi, Servi Plus, and Servi Lift
Servi is built with an advanced LiDar sensor and multiple cameras to navigate space intelligently, safely and with ease, and automatically return to its post when internal weight sensors detect a delivery has been completed
Servi Plus has a custom LED display and clear sound system for tailored messages, as well as fine-tuned speed and suspension to easily navigate ADA ramps
Complete deliveries inside multi-story buildings like hotels, ghost kitchens, and corporate campuses with Servi Lift (currently on pre-order)
Onboarding and support
Bear Robotics offers a dedicated customer support team 24/7 and is reachable by chat, email, or support hotline at 1-844-729-2327
Fast-casual franchises and multi-units that are struggling with labor shortages and need extra help during high-traffic times.
Things to consider
The robot has a higher price tag and may be cost prohibitive to restaurants with smaller budgets.
Where it excels
This multi-function robot takes about 15 minutes to set up and is easy to use. It also measures out ingredients to an exact amount, cutting down on food waste and improving inventory efficiency.
Feature overview
Get up and running quickly by simply placing Alfred on the table, plugging in the power cable, and hitting start
Alfred adapts to your existing kitchen and layout directly out-of-the-box
It integrates with your point-of-sale and IT tools, uses a camera to detect the location of different ingredients, and autonomously picks up and changes the appropriate utensils
Easily pause the robot, amend recipes, or monitor performance with the app
Assemble meals quickly and reliably — a complete bowl can be assembled in under 2 minutes
The robot pauses for people within 4 feet and has emergency stop buttons to halt any motion when activated
Alfred is NSF-certified as food service equipment with a splash-proof exterior that is wipe down compatible
Track insights like ingredient usage over time via the app
Onboarding and support
Dexai currently supports customers through an online customer portal.
Pricing
Dexai’s potential customers can either pay $50,000 for the robot or subscribe to one or multiple robots under a robotics-as-a-service model (RAAS). The price of the latter depends on the number of robots in service.
With tens of thousands of robots successfully deployed over the past decade in universities, restaurants, hospitals, and hotels, RobotLAB can help serve your customers at max ROI and help your business operate at peak performance when you don’t have enough human employees.
Best suited for enterprise solutions in the hospitality space, such as hotels, universities, and hospitals.
Things to consider
It may be cost prohibitive for some smaller businesses in the short term as this is an investment for long term ROI.
Where it excels
It helps make your business more efficient and cost-effective by taking over repetitive tasks, like delivering food and collecting dirty dishes, while engaging with guests in an interactive manner.
Feature overview
Restaurant robots can interact with customers to collect orders from your menu, including quick responses to any questions
Help your employees focus on higher priority tasks while robots do the dull tasks like collecting dirty dishes
Enable your servers to provide a higher quality guest experience by having robots help run food from the kitchen to the server's station
Hotel Robot Solutions can guide your customers to different locations in a fun and engaging way
Onboarding and support
RobotLAB includes phone and email support, as well as a customer support portal.
We’ve developed a process to find the best robotics solutions for restaurants to ensure efficient operations while understaffed or to provide top-notch experiences to supplement your team’s work. Here’s how we did it:
Surveys and other research with people in the industry
We conducted surveys and gathered feedback from operators and employees across different service models and segments with experience using these systems on a day-to-day basis.
Interviews with Back of House restaurant tech experts
We also gained insights from our staff of experts who have years of experience in the industry and with restaurant technology.
Secondary research
All of this was supplemented with our own research and participation in product overviews and training sessions with vendors on their products and services.
Our tech experts can build you a free, personalized list of robotics & automation systems that fit your needs with one short phone call.
Our tech experts can build you a free, personalized list of robotics & automation systems that fit your needs with one short phone call.
