🤖Robots in the Kitchen

Entrepreneurship + Innovation: Tech company takes a novel approach to fast-food dining in Miami

FEATURED CONTENT:
Our latest On Site video feature explores how Remy Robotics is revolutionizing the restaurant scene with Miami's first robot-driven concept at Better Days. This innovation highlights how automation can fuel entrepreneurship, streamline processes, and create new opportunities in the food industry.

Also, join us on Monday at The Beacon Council for a hands-on demonstration on how the County supports small business and workforce development. Register here.

One of Miami’s newest Mediterranean-inspired concepts serves lemon dill salmon, tandoori chicken, beef meatballs, and more. The healthy dishes are developed and prepared by local chefs and then frozen.

When you visit, you won’t see chefs in the kitchen or anyone serving the food at this Better Days centralized commissary kitchen. Instead, robotic technology is handling all of that.

Better Days Robotic Kitchens uses AI-powered robots created by Remy Robotics to serve meals with fresh ingredients that are cooked using specialized sensors and algorithms.

“We are a technology company who has come up with a very unique system of creating food for guests in a way that hasn’t been done before,” said Ryan Ramseyer, US General Manager of Remy Robotics. See the robot in action in our latest On Site video feature.

Ramseyer, who lives in Miami, oversees the go-to-market strategy for Remy Robotics, including the expansion of its direct-to-consumer brand Better Days. He’s held several roles with international restaurant brands and organizations.

The robots can be placed in any setting – from existing restaurants and hotels to convenience stores and more – without adding much footprint or labor beyond the costs of the actual robot. This allows for the owner to have “higher sales, higher bottom line, and a bigger offering for their customers.”

IN THE KITCHENS

The preparation begins with a team of local chefs preparing the food – everything from developing flavors to cutting vegetables and seasoning meats. The prepped food is then delivered in specially designed packaging to various franchise locations, such as the one we visited near Coral Gables, each equipped with an autonomous robotic kitchen.

Orders can be placed on any food delivery app or on-site at one of the several Better Days locations across South Florida.

When an order is received, the robotic arm retrieves the food and transfers it to robotic ovens which execute recipes, each tailored to a specific dish, and account for various dynamic parameters such as the exact weight or desired doneness level. (Opportunity Miami staff tried several dishes on site, including the tri-colored couscous

The technology allows for the robots to cook up a variety of meal combinations and adjust cooking times based on whether the order is for pickup or delivery, allowing for a fast-food dining experience at a healthier and more affordable price – with dishes ranging from just $4 to $10. The “Better Meal” is priced between $12-15 and includes a main dish along with two sides, vegetables, or sweets.

ROBOTS IN THE KITCHEN

Ramseyer notes that there are several startups already in the restaurant robotics space, including a complex vending machine that dispenses food into a bowl and single process automation, which can flip a burger or handle highly repetitive tasks.

“The limitation in the market that we're trying to go into is to try to make the entire menu because we recognize that humans still have the creativity and the dexterity to make nice, flavorful dishes,” he said, adding: “But the robots can allow us to do the final cooking to perfection and to offer those in geographies and in places where you couldn't normally set up a whole restaurant.”

So Remy Robotics is not eliminating the human factor, instead serving as an extension. Chefs create the dishes with a team of cooks. Then small business owners, like the one that owns the restaurant we visited in Miami, can have another line of sales and products for customers.

“So we're adding both jobs through the creation of the dishes, but we're also adding more growth and more top line to existing business owners,” Ramseyer said.

ROBOTS IN MIAMI

Remy Robotics was founded in Barcelona, Spain, in 2018. Ramsyer said it was important for them to find the right location to launch in the U.S. market because “if you really want to prove restaurant technology, the U.S. is the main market in the world to go prove that out.”

They began to look for connections. “We thought about where should we go that would embrace this new way of doing fast food. And we found Miami was a really attractive place for several reasons. We found that there's a lot of talent here, especially on the culinary side, but also on the technology side,” he said, adding that customers and potential business partners were more open here compared to other locations.

“The first time I came to Miami when I was in Brickell, I almost tripped over a food delivery robot*. And I think that's when I knew this is the perfect place.”

The history of U.S. restaurant innovation began with fast, affordable food. Today, entrepreneurs are redefining the industry with solutions prioritizing healthy, quick, and affordable meals.

“And I think that's the sweet spot of this autonomous kitchen,” Ramseyer said.

Together, we can drive forward Opportunity Miami’s mission to inspire innovation and fuel economic growth.

SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT

As we drive entrepreneurship and innovation to help create well-paying jobs and further diversify the economy, Opportunity Miami is partnering with Miami-Dade County to demonstrate how the Strive305 and Workforce Miami platforms can support small businesses. Register here for the Jan. 27th event at Beacon.

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*One year ago, Opportunity Miami featured the company Kiwibot and its four-wheeled robots that deliver everything from goods to food. You can watch that video here.