USA | Miso, a restaurant technology pioneer in fry station automation and AI-powered robotics for commercial kitchens, has launched its next-generation Flippy Fry Station robot.
Powered by Miso’s Kitchen AI and more than 25 patents, the new generation of Flippy Fry Station has automated the preparation of French fries, onion rings, chicken, tacos, and any other fried item with unmatched precision and consistency, delivering “day-one” ROI to its customers with market-leading reliability.
Now backed by investment from industry powerhouses like cleaning solutions leader Ecolab collaborations with vision-AI leader NVIDIA and new leadership led by CEO Rich Hull, Miso began piloting its newest Flippy at specific White Castle locations in late 2024.
Compared to the prior version, the new Flippy is half the size, twice as fast, and far more reliable. It can also be installed overnight in existing kitchens in just a few hours. The product was also designed in close collaboration with restaurant partners, including longtime collaborator White Castle, to create a next-generation product that meets every expectation of QSR operators.
“Being the first-mover in fry station automation has brought years of successes, surely a few failures, and mountains of proprietary data and learnings for Miso. Now all those important experiences combine to make this game-changing new generation of Flippy the most reliable fry station automation product in the market,” said Hull.
“At a time of massive labour disruption and restaurants’ inability to hire enough kitchen workers, the new Flippy creates immediate, provable customer ROI, while also unlocking much needed additional pools of labour under federal guidelines by reducing the danger to workers.”
A 2024 survey conducted by Hart Research Associates on behalf of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health noted that almost 80 percent of fast-food employees had sustained burns within the past year.
Unlike traditional frying stations, federal regulations allow employees under 18 to operate Flippy Fry Station, unlocking an additional pool of available labour for QSR kitchens.
"With no upfront costs and a rental price of USD 5,400 per month, the new generation of Flippy generally costs less than the equivalent full-time employees, so there is little downside for restaurant operators,” said Dennis Lock, Miso’s Head of Sales.
“Plus, Flippy can drive USD 5,000 to USD 20,000 of new prime cost reductions and revenue increases per month through labour redeployment to higher value tasks, faster speed of service, and reduced food waste."
In corporate and franchisee locations, rollouts to additional White Castle locations, Jack in the Box, and several other large brands have been scheduled for early 2025.
Protected by over 25 patents, the next-generation Flippy Fry Station has addressed key restaurant operational challenges with new advanced features such as scalable reliability, compact design, enhanced vision and speed, better team experience, and much more.
“We’ve spent a great deal of time over the past months to create real-world case studies that quantify the substantial labour, speed of service, and food waste benefits that the new generation of Flippy Fry Station creates for a restaurant’s bottom line,” said Rob Seely, AVP Operations Strategy and Design of WD Partners.
“In a market where labour shortages and labour costs can no longer be passed onto customers through menu price increases, Flippy and kitchen automation provides the restaurant industry’s best solution.”
Miso's strategic and investment partnerships with Ecolab, a global leader in food safety and hygiene solutions, have also bolstered Flippy's advancements.
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