White Castle to Install Flippy 2 Cooking Robots in 100 Fast-Food Restaurants
White Castle is installing the Miso Robotics Flippy 2 frying robot in 100 fast-food restaurants. That is roughly a third of White Castle's US restaurants, so Flippy may well become a permanent part of the chain's workforce. Flippy 2 will be deployed region by region, with rollout planned over the coming months and years.
White Castle and Miso Robotics first began working together in September 2020. The original Flippy robot was deployed at a chain restaurant in the Chicagoland area. Then, in November 2021, the robot at that location was upgraded to the newer Flippy 2 model.
According to Miso Robotics, Flippy 2 can handle about 60 frying baskets per hour, takes up 56% less space in the aisle, and is 13% smaller than its predecessor. It also has fewer surfaces that need cleaning, which can significantly cut costs.
The upgraded Flippy 2 also includes a new AutoBin system, which can handle specialty products such as onion rings and chicken patties in customizable containers. Miso Robotics claims Flippy 2 can perform twice as many cooking tasks as the original robot, such as filling baskets, emptying them, and returning them.
“Our partnership with Miso continues to point the way forward for the back-of-house restaurant, where we aim to give team members technology that better serves customers. Flippy 2 joining our 100 White Castle restaurants as a new team member helps us reach our bigger goals at White Castle”
By taking over an entire frying station, Miso aims for robots to ease the pain points of fast-food back-of-house roles, creating a working environment for human colleagues that maximizes kitchen efficiency. The company started with a robot that flips hamburgers but has focused on frying stations. It is also developing a robot for frying chicken wings for large chicken chains.
The improved workflow lets team members be reassigned to focus on creating memorable moments for customers. White Castle expects many improvements in efficiency, product quality and team member experience as a result of its partnership with Miso Robotics.
“We are very grateful to White Castle for its trust as we enter the next stage of our partnership. White Castle was the first major brand to adopt our technology, and we are delighted that our Flippy pilot has had such a positive impact on its operations that it wants to integrate 100 more units. We look forward to continuing this journey with such an outstanding partner”
Miso Robotics is largely funded through crowdfunding. The company has raised more than $50 million from over 15,000 investors and is currently in its Series E funding round.
White Castle, America's first hamburger-focused fast-food chain, has spent 100 years serving hot, tasty food as a family business. Founded in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle began serving The Original Slider in 1921.
Today White Castle owns and operates 350 restaurants designed to satisfy customers' cravings morning, afternoon and night, and sells its famous products in retail stores nationwide. The original burger, named in 2014 the most influential hamburger of all time by Time magazine, is served alongside a menu of creatively built burgers and other tasty options.
White Castle's commitment to the highest product quality extends to a company that owns and operates its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen food processing facilities. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, one in four of whom has worked for the company for at least 10 years, as well as its devoted fans.
Miso Robotics is revolutionizing commercial foodservice with intelligent automation solutions that address some of the biggest gaps in home-style kitchen operations. The AI-based Miso platform, ready to deliver immediate financial impact on restaurant profitability, combines robotics, machine learning, computer vision and data analytics to support and develop its groundbreaking products, including Flippy 2, CookRight and Sippy.
Drawing on real industry knowledge gained through partnerships with brands over the first five years, Miso's products are constantly evolving to deliver consistency, boost productivity, lower costs and improve the overall food experience.
It is no secret that the world is in the middle of an AI-driven culinary revolution. Miso Robotics released a wings version of Flippy, which Buffalo Wild Wings is currently testing. Since robots also minimize human contact in the kitchen, they have also been used as a pandemic safety measure.
Beijing even uses cooking robots to feed athletes and guests at the closed Winter Olympics. More robotic innovation in the restaurant industry seems likely, especially given labor shortages.
