The evolving nature of consumer behaviour and increased demand after the pandemic has forced transformations in the cloud kitchen industry. No one can ignore the exponential growth, with numbers suggesting the global cloud kitchen market growth will reach $89.5 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 11.4%.
In these times of growth, cloud kitchen concept companies with a vision to become global brands have no choice but to leverage kitchen automation to match the speed of the industry. There is no alternative to maintaining strict taste consistencies and quality controls, all while ensuring every order reaches the customer as quickly as possible.
2022’s customer wants his/her food to be:
- Mouth-watering
- Affordable
- Full of options
- and most importantly, easily accessible (10-20 mins deliveries!)
Traditionally this would be possible by increasing overhead costs, hiring mid-level managers, increasing operational costs, and much more.
But thanks to modern technology, you can also do all this without breaking the bank and hiring an army of staff.
Kitchen automation and how it is changing the cloud kitchen industry
From basic mixers to full-fledged machines able to cook 100s of recipes with a click, the automation industry has evolved tremendously. These changes and inventions are the results of inventors solving key challenges for cloud kitchens.
Let’s explore the benefits for companies that choose automation.
Benefit #1: Unprecedented time savings
From pizzas to Chinese cuisine to Indian gravies, there are automatic machines that can cook complex recipes in minutes. Manufacturers from different parts of India offer customisations for these machines.
You can customise recipes to a particular taste and add variants to the machine to completely automate the cooking process.
Benefit #2: Cost-effective solution
Not only can you maintain a consistent taste and serve food quickly, but you also get to save a lot of money during the process. Cost savings come in the form of:
- You can scale the output without hiring extra staff
- Food wastage is reduced as recipes are monitored by a software
- Scale or reduce output without making massive operational changes
- Minimal operational cost (one-time cloud kitchen equipment investment)
Benefit #3: Scalable cloud kitchen business model
Automation makes it easier for business owners to scale operations without worrying about doubling or tripling the cost of salaries, rent, maintenance and others.
Benefit #4: Consistency in taste
The last thing you would want to have in your cloud kitchen setup is inconsistent taste in food. Customers love consistency in flavour, and automatic machines help you maintain that without breaking a sweat.
Modern kitchen automation algorithms powered by AI and ML allow kitchens to customise software as per their recipes. Practically, every food packet that goes out of your kitchen would taste just like the one made by your head chef.
Benefit #5: Cleaner kitchens (Easy to maintain hygiene)
Maintaining cleanliness in kitchens is a challenge for every cloud kitchen startup owner. With 10s and sometimes 100s of chefs working in your kitchen, it becomes challenging to have a clean kitchen, and this amplifies even more during rush hours.
Having automation in place can potentially cut that mess by more than 90%, along with all the other benefits you are reading.
Benefit #6: More options and reliability
Want to know the best part? Expanding your menu without compromising on the taste or efficiency is effortless with automated kitchens. Adding an item to the menu is just about feeding the algorithm with a recipe, and it then ensures the same taste for every batch that it produces.
Relying on your automated kitchen is also easier as you won’t have to deal with staff shortages which are super common in kitchens and can happen for numerous reasons.
Benefit #7: Safety
Millions of people are affected by kitchen accidents globally. Kitchen automation can potentially reduce this number to zero, as most machines have little to no human involvement. In most cases, you just add the raw material to the machine and you are done.
The future ahead
Karkhana.io is a digital manufacturing platform that aggregates suppliers and customers in a managed marketplace. From prototyping to small-scale to large-scale manufacturing, Karkhana.io helps companies of different sizes solve challenges at their level to get what their business needs to grow.
Numerous companies like Mukunda Foods and React Labs have benefited from having an automated kitchen by connecting to manufacturers who helped them customise their automated machines with the help of Karkhana.io.
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