By Joséphine Li
As with AI, the pandemic hastened automation deployment in most industries. With demand for salad-tossing, burger-flipping robots on the rise, the food and beverage industry is no exception. However, there are concerns that this could simply be an ephemeral trend, and that the industry will never be able to fully replace the delicate human touch.
Only a few months ago, high-tech vending machine manufacturers from Chowbotics and fellow Bay Area selling fresh croissants, warm cappuccinos and hot ramen talked up their appeal in terms of freshness and 24-hours convenience. The pandemic has fuelled interest for culinary robots, and while the phenomenon predates Covid-19, some believe that they have gone from a novelty to a necessity. CEO of the California based firm Chowbotics, Rick Wilmer says that demand for culinary robots has skyrocketed since the pandemic hit, particularly in grocery stores and hospital cafeterias. He thinks food automation is definitely coming and Covid-19 is going to accelerate it since people are concerned with human workers involved with their food might lead to further spread of disease.
Given Silicon Valley’s enthusiasm for robotic pizza delivery vans and burger robots, it was ineluctable that tech companies would turn their attention to culinary robots, maligned foe of the dietitian and savior of the hangry.
Wilmer believes that customers feel safer with robots preparing their food than humans since the process will be more sanitary. Even though Robotics companies insist they are not intended to replace human labor but to facilitate people’s daily life, there are still concerns about employment that might take a hit. Jamie Richardson, Vice President of the White Castle hamburger chain, doesn’t believe the surge of culinary robots will replace real human workers. He states that he sees it as an empowerment for the team because it helps him and his team free up their heart for hospitality.
While robots have proved useful in the course of the pandemic, some experts doubt whether they can compete with humans in the food and beverage industry in the long run.
Max Elder—Director of Research at the Institute for the Future, believes there might be a demand for fully robotic food outlets in time of emergency. However, that demand will soon go away. Elder claims that there is a balance to be struck between the cooking process parts that are automated and those that retain a creative human touch.
“When we automate away the act of cooking, preparing, presenting, sharing food, we lose what’s inherent to the meal, to that experience. We lose the true meaning of cooking.”
