Restaurant industry robotics is the integration of robots for full or partial automation of the restaurant industry value chain, from primary and secondary food processing to food preparation, as well as food service.
There are four general categories of companies in the field of restaurant industry robotics, based on where the company operates in the industry value chain: primary food processing, secondary food processing, food preparation, and service.
Most of the startups covered in the restaurant robotics industry emerged over the past 5–10 years, with a majority of them in the Go-to-Market stage of operations. The service segment, which focuses on robotic solutions for dishwashing and waiting tables, has a low number of disruptors compared with other segments. However, it has secured the highest amount of funding with Pudu Robotics and Bear Robotics securing a combined funding of over USD 350 million. Miso Robotics and Hyphen, which operate across multiple segments, were the other highly funded companies.
Most of the disruptors operate in the salad and other food preparation segment. Moreover, companies including Hyphen, Picnic, Miso Robotics, and Nala Robotics develop robots that can prepare multiple types of food or both food and beverages, featuring in multiple segments within the industry hub.
Incumbents in this space are well-established technology companies that offer diversified robotics solutions with proprietary technologies for multiple industries such as automotive, food, oil and gas, and semiconductors or large food and beverage retailers. Most of these technology companies are subsidiaries of Japan-based robotics giants and have strong distribution networks and offices in major locations worldwide.
Most of these companies focus on robotics solutions for primary and secondary food processing for restaurants, with some attention paid to food preparation. Additionally, Little Caesars, a well-established pizza chain, entered the space with a patent for a pizza-assembly robotic system, while Costa Coffee entered the food preparation space via acquisitions.
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