Robots taking over kitchens

Are robots the future of F&B?

They're better, cheaper and more hygienic than human chefs, so will robot cooks soon be taking over the kitchens of restaurants and hotels all over the world?

Huang Xianghao clearly thinks so – he’s the manager of I Robot, a chain of restaurants in southern China's Guangxi province, where robot chefs do almost all the work.

"Our prices are the same as other restaurants, although the robot chefs' dishes probably taste better,” Xianghao told The Austrian Times.

"They are expensive at US $43,000 each but even with the low wages of most Chinese cooks the robots will have paid for themselves within a year and after that it's just the cost of electricity and servicing.

"Each chef can cook up more than 300 recipes in a matter of minutes without anything other than somebody to feed raw materials into the robots."

The introduction of the robot chefs has already led to robot wars, with Chinese chefs having staged protests outside branches of the I Robot chain. But Xianghao said the mincing, mixing machines are here to stay.

"Chinese cuisine is known for its delicacy and deliciousness. It's amazing to many customers that robots can make such good dishes.

"The robot chefs are more efficient and hygienic. And they don't complain.”