Meet the robot pizza chef that could tackle food labour shortages
The world's first fully-automated pizzeria has opened its doors in Illinois, containing its own robotic chef that could offer options for the industry as staff shortages continue to batter the entire food sector.
Called "Pizzaiola" - taken from the Italian for "pizza maker" - it is the brainchild of AI tech firm Nala Robotics, which styles it as a "restaurant-as-a-service".
The robotic arm has been equipped to handle multiple forms of food popular with average Americans ranging from pizzas to pasta to burgers and wings - and can reportedly cook up to 50 pizzas per hour, 24 hours a day.
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Operating out of a 13.3 metre (144 ft) space, it has been designed from the ground up to offer a highly customisable menu for restauranteurs based on typical menu items found in many Italian-style pizzerias.
Featuring voice recognition software to allow it to take orders directly from customers and operating using the latest algorithms that decipher more than 1,200 parameters every second, the robot displays how AI can change our everyday lives for the better and enable humans to overcome issues.
Not only is the menu customisable for restaurant owners, but it also contains a number of options for more bespoke pizzas for customers.
"Pizzaiola is a fully robotic pizza maker ... providing consumers with an endless array of customised choices and styles, from Chicago to Neapolitan and everything in between”, said Ajay Sunkara, the cofounder and CEO of Nala Robotics.
“Most importantly, our model allows kitchens to seamlessly add friers, grills and other food making and prep stations within the same 144‐square foot area to offer additional menu items, such as fries, bowls, burgers, wings, salads, pasta and more", he added.
But it isn't just the robot the firm offers. It also allows customers to take their pick of pizza ovens, including traditional, conveyor‐style and brick, to complement the robot. Other standard kitchen appliances such as fryers, grills, pasta makers and salad stations can also easily be added.
In total, Pizzaiola offers 5 different types of pizza dough, four varieties of sauces including the classic marinara sauce, four different types of cheese and up to 35 different toppings.
All pizzas are offered in 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 or 18‐inch sizes. The robot handles everything during production, from selecting and pressing the dough, adding the toppings, cooking, and boxing the pizza. The firm stipulates that no humans are involved during the process.
It also claims its machine learning tech allows for many different recipes to be cooked "with exact precision every time".
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Tech such as this offers near-limitless possibilities for the sector. Perhaps the most noteworthy is the partial or full automation of drive-thrus and takeaways while a human workforce works to serve sit-in restaurants, which typically have a higher-order demand during certain parts of the day.
Or, restaurants could create virtual storefronts for remote transactions through a website or online food ordering and delivery platform.
More importantly, unlike humans, the robot can operate throughout the day and night without breaks, 365 days a year.
The food industry is still continuing to face labour shortages globally owing to a number of factors, chief among them being the Covid-19 pandemic. Levels were expected to get back to normal, but haven't yet. The restaurant industry, in particular, is continuing to suffer.
Restaurants are increasingly being seen as unattractive places to work due to poor pay, and employers cutting hours in order to budget costs.
Sunkara added: “While the restaurant industry continues to experience [staff] shortages, consumers still crave unique dining experiences.
Nala claims one robot can do as much work as two kitchen staff. However, its price comes at a significant price hike - around $7,000 per month. But with staff shortages, restaurant owners may have nowhere else to turn to. Consistently top-notch orders, however, could keep customers hungry for more.
"The Pizzaiola platform enables restaurants to serve a variety of popular dishes beyond pizza that will increase revenue per square foot, as well as helps fill employment gaps associated with brick‐and‐mortar establishments", Sunkara said.
He estimates restaurants could see a significant return on investment "within two years".
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Nala is also using its AI robotics tech in other restaurants in Naperville, Illinois. The first is One MeanChicken, a fried chicken concept; the second is Surya Tiffins, a South Indian eatery; and the third is Thai 76, a fast‐food Thai canteen.
In addition to normal service, these restaurants offer subscription-based meal plans and "grab and go" takeaways. It can be assumed Pizzaiola will also incorporate elements of this.
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