Panera Is Putting Robots In Its Restaurants
At Panera, you may soon be getting your coffee and tea served to you by a robot.
This article is more than 2 years old
Many restaurants, particularly fast-food restaurants, have been leveraging robot implementations as a means to streamline their service, increase productivity, and alleviate additional burdens being put on an already burned-out workforce. White Castle has done it. McDonald’s is planning to do it. Now, Panera is taking a page from their books and, according to CNBC, will begin using robots at its stores.
To make their robot endeavor possible, Panera partnered with Miso Robotics. Panera is planning to utilize Miso Robotics’ automated coffee brewing machine as a means to support its coffee subscription plan. Panera’s Unlimited Sip Club subscription service was first launched two years ago. Panera patrons who subscribe to the plan pay $8.99 per month in order to have access to as much coffee and tea as they want. Panera, recognizing that the program was beginning to take off, decided to see just how they could incorporate a robotic integration to facilitate its goals for its unlimited coffee plan.
Panera’s new coffee brewing machine, courtesy of Miso Robotics, is called the CookRight Coffee system. With the system, Panera is aiming to reach goals that are twofold. First, the company asserted that considering the growth of the unlimited coffee program, it hopes that the devices will take some of the burdens off employees who have to keep tabs on making sure that the coffee pots and hot water for tea are always full. The company emphasized that it would much rather have its workers devote their undivided attention to helping customers. Second, the company wants to ensure that its customers are abundantly happy with every coffee or tea beverage they take away from Panera.
The latter part of Panera’s goals for the CookRight Coffee System falls seamlessly in line with the machine’s capabilities. Miso Robotics detailed that the system was developed with an artificial intelligence astutely adept at managing and monitoring liquid temperatures and volume. That type of technology aims to ensure that every cup comes out perfect every time. Additionally, the machine also collects data to predict what type of coffee its patrons will likely drink. Hence, it can adequately compensate for more popular varieties.
To start, Panera is testing out the CookRight Coffee Systems in two of its locations. George Hanson, Panera’s chief digital officer disclosed that depending on how those two systems perform, Panera will begin to look at where and when they can begin installing them in other locations. Interestingly enough, Panera is also closely examining other functions of its day-to-day business to see where they might be able to add successful robot or digital integrations. “Opportunistically, if we see things like this that will help our associates, we’ll look at them,” Hanson told CNBC.
Panera’s emerging partnership with Miso Robotics is just one of many for the upstart company. At present, the company has solidified contracts with the likes of fast-food giants such as Chipotle and Arby’s. They are also the company that is powering White Caste’s fry flipping robot aptly named Flippy. All in all, judging by Miso Robotics’ emerging success combined with the enthusiasm from key players in the fast-food industry, the future of robots in those quick kitchens looks blindingly bright.
