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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

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Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurants in Japan Will Soon Use a Fry-Cooking Robot

TechMagic, a Tokyo-based restaurant robotics startup, has signed a development deal with Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japan to build a robot to automate the entire process of cooking french fries.

According to company CEO Yuji Shiraki, preliminary testing of the TechMagic fry robots is complete and is the company is moving into the development phase, where they will focus on productization and in-store installation. The fry-bot will manage fry-feeding, frying, bagging, storing, and arranging the french fries. The company is also working to reduce the size of the frybot so as to enable deployment into space-contrained spaces of existing Kentucky Fried Chicken locations.

Shiraki says they are aiming to introduce the robot in some Japanese locations by this fall.

Spoon readers may recall that TechMagic has already been working with restaurant operators to deploy its back-of-house food robots in restaurants in Japan. I had a chance to visit one, the P-Robo, last September when I was in Tokyo for Smart Kitchen Summit Japan. The robot is a multi-function robot that automates nearly the entire process of creating pasta. It preps the sauces and toppings, heats the noodles (which are pre-cooked and frozen, standard for noodle and pasta restaurants), combines it all in a spinner, and then delivers the meal down along a conveyor belt to the plating station. From there, the meal is plated and a human does the final prep for delivery to the customer. Afterward, the robot washes and cleansthe prep bowls. The entire process takes less than two minutes.

You can see the P-Robo in action below:

TechMagic Pasta Robot: Noodle cook, saucing, plating all in one minute.

The Tokyo restaurant where P-Robo slings pasta is owned by the Pronto Corporation, a subsidiary of Japan food and beverage conglomerate Suntory. When I interviewed Shiraki last summer, he indicated that they were also working with a large well-known Japanese food brand (presumably KFC Japan) and noodle giant Nissin.

For those wondering if this move means we’ll see KFC deploy robots stateside, I wouldn’t hold your breath, mainly because KFC Japan is operated by Mitsubishi, whereas the U.S. fried chicken chain is operated by the holding company Yum Brands.

Yum Brands to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by ‘Nearly 50%’ by 2030

Restaurant operator Yum Brands announced today its plans to cut greenhouse gases 46 percent by 2030 in partnership with its franchisees, suppliers and producers. The company, which operates Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, and the Habit Burger, also said today it plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

In a statement, Yum said it is “working closely” with its brands, franchisees, and suppliers on these goals, with a plan to focus on emission reductions at both corporate and franchise restaurants, as well as throughout its supply chain. 

Its restaurant brands have already kickstarted a few different initiatives that support its goal. Right now those include:

  • Investing in green buildings: KFC is investing in green buildings in Malaysia, South Africa, and the U.K., with “promising results.” For example, KFC reported 18 percent overall energy savings in Malaysia. 
  • Accelerating renewable energy: By the end of this year, Yum will transition 1,000 of its restaurants to renewable energy. The company has not yet specified which restaurants and where, though it has piloted renewable energy programs at KFC Australia in the past, and in 2020, it moved corporate offices in the U.S. to renewable energy.
  • Collaborating with climate-forward partners: Yum said it joined the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), an alliance of large energy buyers, energy providers and service providers this year. 

Yum is just the latest high-profile restaurant company publicizing its sustainability goals. Back at the start of 2020, Starbucks announced its own plan to cut carbon emissions, water usage, and landfill waste in half by 2030. (The company is also trialing a reusable cup program in Seattle.) Chipotle just diverted 51 percent of its waste, according to the company’s latest sustainability report. It’s also tying sustainability goals to some executive compensation. Dunkin’, meanwhile, introduced food waste and composting programs in March of this year.

The sheer reach of Yum’s restaurant brands — over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories — means its efforts could have significant influence on the restaurant industry as a whole as sustainability becomes a more urgent priority to address.

KFC Launches Plant-Based Zero Chicken Burger in Locations Across Singapore

KFC announced today the launch of its new plant-based burger, called the Zero Chicken Burger, in restaurants throughout Singapore (h/t VegNews). The new menu item is now available in 80 different KFC locations within the city-state for a limited time.

The Zero Chicken Burger is meat-free, but not fully vegan, making it more suitable for vegetarians and flexitarians. The “chicken-free” patty uses a mycoprotein base and is seasoned will KFC’s classic recipe of 11 herbs and spices. In addition to the patty, the burger will include cheese slices, mayo, lettuce, BBQ sauce, and a toasted sesame bun. The nutrition information has not been released for the new item yet, so it is currently unclear if this plant-based burger will contain as much protein as KFC’s regular chicken burger.

This is not the first time KFC has trialed a plant-based menu item. In the summer of 2020, the company served plant-based chicken sandwiches at 50 locations in Southern California for a limited time. In 2019, it sold plant-based fried chicken sandwiches at a location in Mississauga, Ontario for one day. Also in 2019, Beyond Meat fried chicken was available at a KFC location in Atlanta, Georgia, where it sold out in just five hours. The popularity of these trials makes one wonder when KFC will launch a permanent rollout of plant-based menu items.

It is also important to mention how Singapore is becoming a hot spot for food tech and alternative protein developments. Besides KFC’s plant-based burger launch, various other companies are developing and launching alternative protein products in this South Asian nation. Eat Just made its first commercial sale of its cultured chicken meat, called GOOD meat, in Singapore at the end of last year. Perfect Day is opening a new lab in the city-state in April 2021 to continue developing its flora-based alternative dairy products. Cell-based seafood producer Shiok Meats, which raised $12.6 million in its Series A round last year, is also located in Singapore.

KFC’s Zero Chicken Burger will be available for a limited time until supplies last. The plant-based burger costs $6.95 alone or $8.65 for a combo meal that includes a drink and fries.

With Self-Driving Delivery Vehicles, KFC’s International Brands Keep Pushing Us Into the Future

As with many posts we write about on The Spoon, there is the news and then there is the story.

The news rumbling across Twitter and as reported by Cnet’s Roadshow is that KFC-branded self-driving vehicles were spotted on the road in China bringing fried chicken to people outside. Roadshow reports that this “restaurant on wheels” looks like it’s a partnership between Yum Brands (which owns KFC) and a Chinese company called Neolix (though neither company confirmed that news). From Roadshow’s story:

As for how the little food pods work, it looks like customers make a selection via screens and pay via a QR code and then a door opens to reveal their order. It’s not clear what stops someone from taking more than what they ordered, but surely there’s some sort of system for that. There isn’t anyone inside preparing food as it happens.

Keeping people from taking food that isn’t theirs probably isn’t too big of an issue. This could be addressed either through cameras and computer vision or shelf sensors or both. If a person took more than they had ordered, they would probably just get charged more.

So the news is that China has self-driving cars acting as mobile restaurants. That’s cool. But the bigger story here is what the heck is going on with the international KFC brands? This rolling chicken stand is just the latest example of the company bringing its food into a sci-fi-style future. Consider other moves that KFC has done abroad:

  • A KFC in Moscow is using a system of conveyor belts and an articulating arm to shuttle food from the kitchen into a locker from which customers pick up their order.
  • In July, KFC Russia announced that it was “launching the development of innovative 3D bioprinting technology to create chicken meat in cooperation with the 3D Bioprinting Solutions research laboratory.”
  • Last month, KFC in Korea partnered with Hyundai to develop chicken frying robots.

I realize the grass is always greener on the other side, but it seems like the only thing KFC in the U.S. is working is… a better drive-thru (womp womp). I mean, that’s important, but come on! Where are our robots?

KFC Is the Latest QSR to Ditch the Dining Room in Favor if Digital Drive-Thru

KFC unveiled two new designs today for future stores that emphasize off-premises order formats and minimal dining room space, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. The Louisville, Kentucky-based chain is the latest major QSR to revamp its store format in response to the pandemic’s impact on the restaurant industry.

One design is for an “express” store format with no indoor dining space. Clocking in at about 1,300 square feet, the design is intended for use in crowded urban locations where space is both limited and expensive. This is a tactic also used by chains like Starbucks and, most recently, Chipotle. 

KFC’s other design is all about the drive-thru, which the company said grew 60 percent year-over-year in Q3 of 2020. The format includes multiple drive-thru lanes, including those dedicated to mobile orders, a small outdoor seating area, and designated parking spots and entrances for customers and delivery drivers picking up digital orders.

These new prototypes have actually been in development since last year. Chief Development Officer Brian Cahoe told NRN today that the company hit the “pause” button on these projects when the pandemic hit in order to learn and apply new requirements the pandemic would bring to the restaurant experience.

More obvious safety measures are one thing. The new KFC stores will include automatic doors and more space between tables. And of course, with the emphasis on digital ordering, a more contactless pickup or drive-thru experience is also on the menu. The company said some stores would also have a digital cubby system in future.

The QSR has in the last couple months become ground zero for testing out new restaurant tech. Besides digitizing the drive-thru, which everyone from McDonald’s to Tim Horton’s is doing, brands are introducing features like geofencing, conveyer belt meal delivery systems, and AI-powered menu boards to the restaurant experience. Many are also ditching the dining room in favor of drive-thru-only locations and ghost kitchen facilities. 

KFC will open three new restaurants based on these prototypes in 2021. 

McDonald’s Is the Latest QSR to Embrace the Drive-Thru-Centric Restaurant Format

At its McDonald’s 2020 Virtual Investor Update today, McDonald’s unveiled a long-term growth strategy that includes a new loyalty program, more AI and machine learning in the drive-thru lane, and revamped formats for future locations. 

At the Update, which directly followed the company’s Q3 2020 earnings call, CEO Chris Chris Kempczinski and several other presenters outlined the pieces of this new strategy, dubbed “Accelerating the Arches.” 

Technology will play a huge role in future growth, particularly where the drive-thru is concerned. In 2019, the company acquired Dynamic Yield, whose tech can show menu options based on external data, such as the weather or traffic patterns in the area, and is currently installed at about 12,000 McDonald’s locations. At the time of the acquisition, McDonald’s suggested this system would eventually be able to make recommendations based on more personalized preferences and order history for each individual customer. Deploying that capability to the drive-thru lane is now part of the Accelerating the Arches plan (though there’s no definite timeframe).

Also in 2019, McDonald’s acquired voice-tech company Apprente. Some McDonald’s franchisees already have an Apprente-powered voice assistant taking orders, rather than a human being. Experts say Apprente could be ready to scale across the McDonald’s system as early as next year.

Other updates to McDonald’s drive-thrus will include express lanes for digital orders and a conveyor belt that delivers your food without the need for human-to-human interaction. 

Wait times at the drive-thru have progressively increased over the last several years, and the latest data shows that total wait time in 2020 was about 30 seconds longer than 2019 across the QSR sector. Add that to the pandemic-related need for more contactless ordering and more efficient ways of fulfilling off-premises orders (i.e., those outside of the dining room), and it’s no wonder reinventing the drive thru is at the top of the priority list for many QSRs. Burger King also envisions a conveyer belt in the drive-thru, and in terms of more AI-enabled tech and dedicated drive-thru lanes for digital orders, everyone from Dunkin’ to KFC is exploring options.

Like some of those other chains, McDonald’s is also rethinking the physical layout of future stores. Even before the pandemic started its latest streak of record-breaking case numbers, QSRs were doubling-down on off-premises formats and calling into question the future of the dining room. Many, including Burger King and Wendy’s, have announced drive-thru-only restaurants for the future. McDonald’s said at today’s investor Update that it is considering a store format that is just a kitchen serving drive-thru and pickup orders.

Finally, the company will launch a new loyalty app called MyMcDonald’s by the end of next year. McDonald’s today also announced McPlant, its own line of plant-based meats, which will be testing in markets in 2021. 

While all of these efforts are features and initiatives many brands are exploring, McDonald’s sheer size (nearly 40,000 restaurants worldwide) and inevitable influence over others could greatly accelerate the rollout of these technologies into the mainstream.

KFC Partners with Hyundai in Korea for Chicken Frying Robots

Hyundai Robotics announced today that it has partnered with KFC Korea are to develop robots that can cook chicken, reports The Korea Herald.

There weren’t many details in the story other than that “KFC Korea will provide its stores and cooking know-how under the deal,” according to The Herald.

However, the KFC Korea/Hyundai partnership reinforces two trends we’ve been seeing over the past couple of years. First is the continued partnership between massive automation companies and various food-related entities to develop food-related robots. The second is that — wow — who’d a thunk that KFC companies would be leading the charge into the future of food tech?

We’ve known for a while that food presents an interesting challenge for roboticists. Because it is often oddly-shaped and susceptible to bruising and damage, food is a good test case for robot manipulation. If a robot is sensitive enough carefully handle an egg, it can definitely apply that skill to other fragile materials in more industrial settings.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has added another reason for big companies to get into food robots, as restaurants and eaters seek out more contactless experiences. As a result, restaurant interest in food automation is surging. The reasons are pretty straightforward, robot cooks don’t get sick, can work around the clock, and can create more social distance in the kitchen.

Hyundai and KFC is the latest food company + industrial conglomerate partnership we’ve seen form over the past couple of years. Previously Panasonic teamed up with China’s Haidilao hot pot restaurant chain to open a robot-run kitchen, and LG is working with Korea’s Woowa Brothers to develop server robots.

But just as, if not more interesting are the moves international KFC companies are making when it comes to restaurant tech innovation. In addition to KFC Korea’s forthcoming chicken frying robots, KFC Russia has a Moscow location using a network of devices and conveyor belts to automate meal service, and the company announced in July that it was launching an initiative to use 3D bioprinters to create chicken meat.

KFC may not be able to say it’s finger-lickin’ good any longer (thank you, pandemic), but the company’s finger is definitely on the pulse of food automation.

Drive-Thru Times Are almost 30 Seconds Slower in 2020

Around this time last year, we asked whether tech could help drive-thru wait times, which have steadily grown longer over the last couple decades. Tech certainly tried to help this year, as evidenced by the endless updates from QSRs on their new drive-thru innovations. But as QSR Magazine’s just released 2020 Drive-Thru Study shows, wait times are actually longer this year than last.

While service time — that is, the time it takes between placing an order and retrieving it — was actually a little faster in 2020 (238.1 seconds compared to 255 seconds in 2019), total wait time in the drive-thru lane is up. Total times across all brands were 29.8 seconds slower than last year. As today’s press release summarizing the report notes, “slower wait times in 2020 increased the overall total times down, equating to a substantial loss in revenue opportunities with a typical brand losing up to $64,182,668 annually per 2,000 stores.”

In many ways, the longer wait time are to be expected. We are, after all, in the midst of a pandemic that has turned the restaurant industry on its head and more or less forced businesses to go off-premises. That in turn translates to more folks in line at the drive-thru, not to mention more operational pieces to juggle as restaurants adopt  new safety protocols and technologies.

Even so, three QSRs surveyed for the study bucked this trend of slower wait times: KFC, Taco Bell, and Hardee’s improved their wait times this year, clocking in under the average time of 356.8 seconds. (Carl’s Jr. and Burger King also squeaked by beneath the average.)

KFC’s leading spot in the drive-thru realm makes sense when you consider its existing efforts around the drive-thru. The chain launched an in-house digital ordering system last year and is said to be testing automation technology and drive-thru-only concept stores. Taco Bell has also been giving its business a tech-forward facelift of late, including new tech and formatting for its drive-thru lanes.

QSR’s report noted that “COVID-19 is here to stay,” though that statement seems less about the actual illness and more about the world it’s created. Where restaurants are concerned, that means speed of service, shorter wait times, more consistent order accuracy are critical priorities for chains to get right as more of the biz goes off-premises. 

KFC Bringing Beyond Meat Plant-Based Chicken to SoCal, 3D Printed Chicken to Russia

KFC announced a partnership with Beyond Meat today to bring plant-based chicken sandwiches to 50 KFC locations across Southern California. Starting on July 20, the Beyond Meat Chicken will be available for a limited time in select KFCs in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.

This is the latest in a string of tests KFC has rolled out for the Beyond Chicken. The restaurant chain made it first available in Atlanta, GA last year, followed by tests in Charlotte, NC and Nashville, TN, as well as a one-day promotion in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. In Atlanta, the Beyond Chicken sparked long lines of customers who waited at least an hour to try the plant-based nuggets.

Today’s announcement continues the relationship between Beyond Meat and KFC parent company, Yum Brands. In addition to the previous market tests, this past June Yum China announced that Beyond’s burgers would be available at select KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell stores in mainland China for a limited time as well.

The timing of KFC’s move into California is actually coming at a good time. Sales of plant-based meat, which have been growing over the past few years, have surged even higher during the pandemic, as COVID-19 highlighted limitations of our meat supply and shone a light on the working conditions of meat packers.

But plant-based chicken wasn’t the only alternative protein news to come out of KFC today. Over in Moscow, KFC Russia announced that it was “launching the development of innovative 3D bioprinting technology to create chicken meat in cooperation with the 3D Bioprinting Solutions research laboratory.” In other words, KFC is looking to develop lab-created chicken nuggets. The company says it will receive a final product for testing this fall.

Does this Robot-Powered KFC Point to the Future of Fast Food?

Earlier this year, KFC pulled its “finger lickin good” ad campaign because during a global coronavirus pandemic, touching your face, let alone putting your fingers in your mouth, is not such a great idea.

Now it looks like a KFC in Moscow is going one step further and reducing the number of fingers ever touching your food. Bloomberg uploaded a video this week of the inner workings of said KFC, which uses conveyor belts, an articulating arm and cubbies to move food from the kitchen to consumer.

KFC Tests Fast Food of the Future in Moscow

This KFC actually shows off a number of technologies restaurants are implementing as they move towards a more contactless experience. Customers order via self-serve kiosk. Conveyor belts and the robotic arm then move the tray of food out of the kitchen, and an enclosed cubby holds the order and unlocks when the customer enters a code on the touchscreen.

The KFC is not entirely humanless, however. It looks as though there are still people (with masks and gloves) in the back of house preparing and assembling the order. And the process is far from contactless as customers still need to enter their orders and pickup codes on touchscreens with their fingers.

But this peek inside KFC does point to a direction that we could see more QSRs headed. Fears over the coronavirus are pushing restaurants to create fewer points of human contact inside their stores.

In addition to the steps taken at KFC, a QSR could add Flippy the robot to grill burgers and fry food, and add a PopID kiosk that lets you pay with your face (or bulk up digital ordering options).

This type of automation isn’t cheap, however. Cost was one of the reasons Flippy’s first iteration didn’t make a lot of headway with restaurants. But at least in the U.S., where the pandemic doesn’t show signs of abating, operators may decide that the cost to implement more tech is worth it to keep the business going.

Food Tech News: Kroger to Accept SNAP for Pickup, KFC China Goes Plant-based

It can be a bright spot to think that even when everything is turned upside down in the food world, companies are still coming up with creative ways to stay afloat and help folks have access to healthy food.

In this week’s food tech news roundup we’ve got stories on just that. There are bits about Kroger ramping up SNAP acceptance for pickup, healthy meal services pairing up with fitness classes, and KFC in China dipping its toe into plant-based meat. Enjoy!

Kroger to accept SNAP payments for grocery pickup
Kroger will accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments at all 2,000 of its grocery pickup locations by the end of the month (h/t FoodDive). Consumers can select the “SNAP/EBT” option when ordering groceries online, then use their EBT card to pay for covered items when they pick up. Thus far, the service is only available at the chain’s Ohio stores. This comes as Kroger bulks up its pickup service, adding slots, hiring workers, and waiving pickup fees.

Photo: Trifecta

Meal service Trifecta partners with Basecamp Fitness
Trifecta, an organic premade meal delivery service, is teaming up with Basecamp Fitness to deliver healthy meals to their members’ doors. Per an email sent to The Spoon, Trifecta will offer subscribers six types of meals — keto, paleo, vegan, etc. — as well as an à la carte section that operates like a miniature online grocery store. Trifecta is already geared towards healthy, fit people looking to eat to sustain their workout, so it makes sense to partner with a fitness service that’s essentially a captive audience (literally and figuratively).

Photo: KFC

KFC to offer plant-based fried chicken in China
Yum China, the parent brand of KFC, announced this week that it would begin selling plant-based fried chicken at select KFC locations in China. The nuggets will come from Cargill, which only recently launched its own alternative meat brand, and will be available in three locations from April 28-30th. A five-pack of the nuggets will cost 1.99 yuan ($0.28 USD).

McDonald’s, Starbucks Join Contactless Delivery Efforts in China as Coronavirus Spreads

McDonald’s, Starbucks, and other quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are now implementing contactless delivery across China in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, according to Reuters.

Yum China brands Pizza Hut and KFC began using the delivery method earlier this month, along with third-party services Ele.me and Meituan. Now, McDonald’s and Starbucks are using a similar approach in order to keep workers safe and help prevent further spreading of the deadly outbreak.

Customers are encouraged to order remotely via restaurants’ mobile apps and websites. Orders are then sealed into bags and placed in a designated pickup spot, such as at the entrance of a customer’s building. Delivery drivers are required to carry ID cards that show they had their temperature taken and do not have a fever. 

Starbucks recommends customers order via the chain’s mobile app for pickup orders. Customers then wait outside a Starbucks location until they receive a pickup notice for their order, which will be placed on a table just inside the store. Any customer who enters a Starbucks must have their temperature taken at the door. Starbucks is also working with Ele.me for delivery orders. 

Some form of contactless delivery existed prior to the Coronavirus outbreak. However, much of China’s population is currently limited in terms of their own mobility and unable to return to work. Roughly 760 million people in China live in neighborhoods or villages currently under some level of lockdown. At least 150 million of them — about 10 percent of the population — face restrictions around how they can leave their actual homes. That makes contactless delivery one of the only ways in which they can procure food, whether it’s restaurant meals or grocery items.

According to Allison Malmsten, a marketing strategy analyst at Daxue Consulting who spoke to Reuters, the outbreak “redefines contactless food delivery.”

As lockdown continues, we’ll doubtless see more restaurants, grocery stores, and delivery services ramping up contactless delivery in the coming days and weeks.