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AUG. SEP. 2021 XIII Restaurants have long been subject to new dynamics and increasing pressures to cope with an increasingly demanding, dynamic, attentive and often unpredictable clientele. The pandemic has no bearing on this, it has just been a situation that has put everyone’s nose to the grindstone. If nothing is going to be the same as before, then it really is time to accept the challenge and really enter the new millennium, because nowadays offering a simple meal is no longer enough. Catering companies, and first and foremost entrepreneurs and managers, must find winning ways to reduce costs without sacrificing food quality or the customer experience. Technology, automation and even robotics are the keys to open the door to a certain extent, to get a firm grip on the day-to- day operations of the kitchen, inventory, resource and energy management, speed and accuracy of service, food quality and safety, waste prevention and equipment maintenance. How does it work? Every piece of data you input produces detailed information and continuous ideas, and many new technology enthusiasts assure you that the suggestions will soon be creative. No potatoes in the pantry, too many tomatoes in the warehouse? A recipe will be created, and the emergency supplier will be alerted immediately. Stock and food inventory management requires intelligence and diligence. Or, in a single word: automation. To which we must also add transparency and maximum yield. GOOD APP... ETITO Automation makes processes more efficient and reduces kitchen and dining costs. Although some new equipment comes at a high price, new developments and improvements to existing equipment are making kitchen systems more accessible and affordable. We need technologies like iPratico, a suite designed to make the entire process of running a restaurant digital: from taking customer orders to when they pay, via orders for the kitchen, the warehouse, and suppliers. Via iPad, Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) manage orders, issue receipts and collect data on restaurant performance. Having automation software that communicates with our partners protects the restaurant and everyone who works for it, both internal and external employees. We are in the midst of the big data era and everyone dreams of a smarter, more efficient and profitable restaurant. Kitchen data becomes extremely essential in this respect. The customer experience is much more personalised and detailed from the first contact until they leave the restaurant. Restaurant operators can use this data to create marketing campaigns, analyse management issues and identify ‘bottlenecks’, i.e., those moments when something hinders our production flow. With the increase in takeaway demand, functions of this calibre are essential to combine dual traffic flows (on-site and off-site). EFFECTIVE YES, BUT ONLY IF USED PROFESSIONALLY KDSs can be made functional inside and outside the restaurant, perhaps interacting with the outside world via SMS or Whatsapp messages, chatting with diners, alerting them to the status of their order or the availability of a table or a particular dish. Many automation suites offer special business intelligence apps. One example is when an order remains in the delivery window for more than three minutes, in which case the operator will receive a notification via the app. On-site users can also take a quick look at the business: from cooking times to seating economy. WHAT THE MARKET OFFERS Many automated utensils and catering equipment are already on sale. Frying, for example, is a difficult field; however, the process has now become much simpler, more efficient, energy-saving and safer. The introduction of all-day fryers with integrated oil filtration has meant better oil quality and food taste, as well as longer oil life. Welbilt’s Frymaster range not only uses 40% less oil but is also equipped with a full Smart4u controller that can monitor and report on oil level, oil life and the number of uses and performance of the fryer itself. It’s true, fast food restaurants are leading the way in this area and how can we not credit McDonald’s for its perennial use of the double-sided grill. The rise of intelligent combi ovens has become the norm. One example of this is Rational’s SelfCookingCenter, the world’s first truly intelligent oven. Please note: energy costs in food services are three times higher per square metre than in other sectors. To partially solve this issue, many new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have achieved maximum efficiency. Such is the