UAE: Robot chefs prepare food for customers in Dubai – News

Flippy 2 robotic solution can do the work of the whole frying station independently

Flippy2. Photo: Miso Robotics

Restaurants in Dubai will soon have robot chefs preparing food for customers.

Americana Restaurants, the master franchisee for iconic brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee’s, Krispy Kreme and TGI Friday’s in the UAE, Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, has partnered with US-based automation solutions company Miso Robotics to deploy robots in its restaurants.

The first pilot project will start with Miso Robotics’ Flippy 2 robot located at Wimpy, Americana Restaurants’ flagship store in The Dubai Mall. Wimpy has 17 active stores in the MENA region and plans to open up to 50 more.

The Flippy 2 robotic solution can handle the entire frying station on its own and is poised for further integration and expansion to other Americana Restaurants locations in the coming months. It requires less labor to operate and is designed to fry just about anything. It also reduces order-to-delivery times, improves food consistency, and creates a better work environment for human team members.

Flippy 2 will also be showcased to Wimpy’s customers at the Dubai Mall’s food court.

According to a study by Aaron Allen & Associates, more than 80% of restaurant jobs, including cooking, serving and preparation, could be taken over by robots. It says robots could replace 57% of fast food restaurant and counter workers.

Following the outbreak of Covid-19, the restaurant industry faced a shortage of skilled staff due to mass layoffs at the height of the pandemic.

“As the first quick service restaurant operator in the Mena area to introduce robotics in its kitchen, Americana Restaurants continues to demonstrate its commitment to delivering unique dining experiences with iconic, customer-favorite brands,” said Melvin Michael, brand director at Wimpy.

“This is a real partnership that we see bearing fruit for many years to come and we want to make sure the market is suitable for future deployments in other locations. Now is the time to take Flippy globally and we have a great partnership Partners can do Miso Robotics CEO Mike Bell said.

– waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com