US hamburger fast-food chain White Castle is set to install robotic cooking stations at 100 locations, following an expansion of its partnership with Miso Robotics.
The collaboration began in 2020 with the deployment of the original Flippy to a White Castle in the Chicagoland area. Following an upgrade to Flippy 2 in November 2021, White Castle said it was committing to Miso’s technology after seeing an immediate positive impact on daily operations and the productivity of its team members.
“Our partnership with Miso continues to lead the way on what’s next for back of house restaurant operations looking to empower team members with technology to better satisfy customers,” said Jeff Carper, chief operating officer at White Castle.
“Having Flippy 2 be a new hire at 100 of our White Castle locations keeps us on a path to achieve big goals at White Castle.”
By taking over the work of an entire fry station, Flippy 2 is designed to alleviate the pain points that come with back-of-house roles at quick-service restaurants to create a working environment for its human co-workers that maximises the efficiency of the kitchen.
The improved workflow allows for the redeployment of team members to focus on customer services. White Castle anticipates many improvements in efficiency, product quality and team member experience as a result of its partnership with Miso Robotics.
Rollouts of Flippy 2 are being phased by region and will be planned out and scheduled in the months and years ahead.
“We could not be more grateful for the confidence White Castle has shown in us as we enter into the next phase of our partnership,” said Mike Bell, CEO of Miso Robotics.
“White Castle was the first large brand to embrace our technology and we are thrilled that our Flippy pilot made such a positive impact on their operations that they want to integrate 100 more. We can’t wait to continue on this journey with such an outstanding partner.”
