Robo-chefs the way of the future for commercial kitchens

The Gastronomous team has revolutionized the way food in restaurants is prepared.

Some call their solutions AI (artificial intelligence) chefs, or robo-kitchens, but the bottom line is smart food prep and reduced labour costs.

Gastronomous Technologies Inc. opened its Wyecroft Road facility to media and politicians earlier this month (Nov. 17) to see where all product design, fabrication and assembly takes place. 

Gastronomous is continuing to develop robotic technology to automate cooking processes in commercial kitchens. It’s an answer to the labour shortage and high turnover rate of employees in the fast-food and beverage industry. It also ensures quality and speed of service.

Just two years ago, they designed and built the first prototype of the ChronoGrill, which autonomously cooks hundreds of hamburgers per hour. That includes ground beef, veggies or chicken; a built-in AI-powered camera and vision system can decipher what meat is placed on the grill. The ChronoGrill also cooks other forms of protein, such as steak.

Once the patties are added to a rotating grill, they are flipped automatically so both sides are properly cooked, probed with a temperature gauge to ensure precision and then conveyed into a warmer, ready to be used on a burger. The automation allows the person to walk away from the grill to perform other tasks as needed.

So far, it’s created more than 60,000 burgers in six months.

“There’s consistency in every burger,” said CEO and co-founder Andrew Skrepnek.

ChronoGrill also significantly reduces food waste and energy usage.

Oakville North-Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos says the company's creation is a game-changer for the fast-food industry. As associate minister of economic development, job creation and trade, she knows current labour market conditions and was happy to see the successes Gastronomous is achieving. She, and colleague Mississauga-Streetsville MPP and associate minister of small business Nina Tangri were both impressed by the outcomes.

“I’m so proud to have them as a job creator and innovative leader in our community here in Oakville,” said Triantafilopoulos. “The food and beverage manufacturing sector is a vital part of the province’s economy and is the third largest in North America with manufacturing revenues of more than $48 billion and employing over 104,000 people.

“Couple that with Ontario’s tech sector, which is home to over 420,000 employees in nearly 25,000 firms, the GTA is now home to North America’s second-fastest growing tech market and is growing 350 per cent faster than Silicon Valley.”

“It is inspiring to see first-hand how Gastronomous Technologies is harnessing innovation to transform the food service industry,” added Tangri. “I’m proud our government continues to champion entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries of creativity and cutting costs for consumers.”

Gastronomous, which employs 16 people, was awarded $1,919,655 as part of The Canadian Food Innovation Network's Food Innovation Challenge last year.

Through their 50-plus years of automotive manufacturing experience, they are able to responsively design solutions which meet customers' needs and objectives.

Having developed Canada’s first fully autonomous kitchen, Gastronomous Technologies Inc. – which has been named one of the province’s most influential robotics startups in 2023 by Hanover Research – realizes the “Kitchen of the Future” through advanced industrial automation techniques and cutting-edge technologies.