Today [18 November] Miso Robotics, a provider of robotics and automation solutions for the restaurant industry, has officially launched in the UK by bringing its flagship product, Flippy 2, to a Midlands branch of a quick-service restaurant (QSR).
The company has also extended its Series E funding round, with plans to raise £1.5m.
Flippy 2, a robotics solution that is designed to complete the work of an entire fry station, can reportedly increase food consistency and create a better working environment for human team members.
This, Miso Robotics claims, it because Flippy is capable of managing fry stations, freeing up other staff to be redeployed and focus on other tasks in the kitchen and restaurant that are more fulfilling, including customer interactions.
What’s more, the company suggests that, as the UK takeaway food delivery market is expected to grow from £10.5bn to £13.3bn between 2021 and 2022, the industry is facing an employment gap that Flippy can help fill.
Flippy 2 is already being used by a range of well-known American fast-food restaurant chains such as White Castle, Jack in the Box and Wing Zone.
Across the US, the bot has completed more than 31,000 hours of robotic cooking, its developer has said. This UK launch marks the first installation of a Flippy unit outside of the US.
Flippy was also designed to use computer vision to detect and cook more than 45 different items of food, according to the company.
“This is an exciting step forward for the team, not least because we’re launching internationally to strong demand from leading UK brands,” said Jacob Brewer, chief strategy officer of Miso Robotics.
“Our existing, tried and tested products are effectively able to ‘plug and play’, which means they can be up and running quickly to help plug the current fast food employment gap in the UK.
“We’re hoping this partnership will be the first of many in the UK market.
“After all, brands across the hospitality sector can benefit immediately from the power of our hero products, with little to no adaptation.”
Miso Robotics is primarily funded by individual investors and has reportedly raised more than US$70m (£58.7m) globally in crowdfunding to date, with plans to use money from its Series E round to expand UK operations.
