HOT-SIDE AUTOMATION Prioritizing people?


PRESS TO


COOK


Though automation undoubtedly brings effi ciency, there may be a limit to the level of automation with which diners can be comfortable. Wagner points to the example of a KFC restaurant in Russia entirely staff ed by robots. “You order from home, scan a code


and get the food, but I don’t know if it is successful,” he says. “It may be more of a marketing tool. Everyone tries it once and it makes headlines, but will people want their food cooked like that?” “Cooking is cooking, and you


“THERE IS A TREND TOWARDS SEEING COOKS AS ASSEMBLERS OR MECHANICS WITH A LOWER SKILL LEVEL, BUT COOKING SKILL REQUIRES TIME AND A MENTOR”


A new breed of combi Vulcan is just one example of a combi oven manufacturer that has embraced automation. Its ABC model has been on the market for many years and is designed to be extremely easy to use. Operators just set the temperature, time, and go, with no programming required. Soon, Vulcan will launch its new programmable and self-cleaning TCM Combi Oven. “Equipment is adapting,” says


Alexandra Ricciuti, chef and combi business development manager at Vulcan Equipment


Ricciuti. “With combi ovens you can just press a button to get it to the right temperature, turn your back and leave it until it is ready. For cookies, you can use preset programs and the oven can adjust itself to get to the right colouration with no need to poke and check. Ovens can also cook and hold turkey, ribs or any large protein overnight. “Automated equipment is pricier, so you need to get value,” she adds. “That comes from freeing up workers to handle another task while leaving the oven to handle the cooking. Before the pandemic, there was often a complaint that there is no art left in cooking, but we hear that a lot less now.”


cannot change it,” he adds. “It is about time and temperature. I doubt full automation will happen because who would want to eat it? We did an experiment in a canteen in Germany a few years ago, where everything was fully automated and from 200 people at the start only 50 people were coming at the end. No one wants to eat the same taste every day even if it is perfect. I want to know that my food has been made by a human.” Wagner believes investing in experience is essential for the future of the industry. Others agree, though, with the belief that automation will still play an important role. “Automation can exist and grow along with more investment in people,” says Bartlett. “There will be kiosks with automated cooking, and other places where everything is automated, but you still need the chef to design the programs.”


As manufacturers such as Vulcan


and Unox take automated combi ovens to the next level, and manufacturers invest in the development of multi- function equipment that is easy to operate, automation no doubt will help operators to deliver results with less experienced staff .However, the future also depends on developing the high-level skills required to understand the processes that lie behind high-quality food.


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