Robot Chef Making Its Way To A Local Fast-food Restaurant

Think robots can't cook? Think again! A robot jianbing maker has made its way to a new fast-food restaurant called PICAKE.

At PICAKE, customers select their preferred sauce flavor -- savory or spicy -- while ordering their jianbing. The machine then rolls the batter onto the pan before adding the desired sauces and toppings. Finally, the robot will cook and box it, and it's good to go.

PICAKE is the newest product from Beijing Weilizi Technology Co., a company founded in 2019 that aims to use kitchen robotics to cook simple and delicious snacks. Wendell, the company’s current CEO, says PICAKE has attracted many customers who are drawn to the concept of innovation in the kitchen. “The restaurant has been open for more than a month, and we’ve been actively adjusting our flavors based on the customers’ preferences" he explains.

It works like this: customers are able to sample the jianbing and send feedback to a taste-testing group on WeChat. If a customer complains that the flavors are too spicy or a particular topping is less desirable, Wendell and his group use that feedback in future production and adjust the flavors to customers’ tastes. “Many customers aren’t big fans of the youtiao we put as stuffing, so we've been thinking of switching it to baocui, a crispy-fried cracker.” Wendell said.

Wendell’s interest in automation began when he learned about the massive turnover rate in Beijing's restaurant industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual staff turnover rate in the capital's catering industry is over 20 percent. “Some of the jobs that require repetitive motions while standing up can be easily switched to automation. That way technology frees human labors for other tasks that involve more complicated and rewarding work,” Wendell says.

Currently, Wendell and his team have been conjuring up ideas to serve burgers and pizzas cooked using artificial intelligence in the future. “I always say robots are made for fast food like burgers and pizzas. The cooking process is highly standardized and when people sign up for fast food, they simply want something that can be delivered to their hands in no time, and robot cooks cater to that specific need. I would never ever let a robot cook my steak because steaks mean fine dining, and when people come to an upscale restaurant, they are usually looking for a dining experience that is more sophisticated than what a robot can provide.”

This certainly isn’t the first time that robots are being used to cook meals in the capital, as robots were also seen cooking up burgers and delivering meals during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Wendell is certainly optimistic about the future of automated cooking. “We are the first place in Beijing that offers a robot jianbing maker. I definitely think that there is a trend that machinery will become common place in fast-food industry in the future.”

派克PICAKE