Automation Feeds Fast-food Revolution at Kernel Foods

Kernel Foods has revolutionized fast food by integrating KUKA robots into its kitchen operations, combining automation with human expertise for consistent and efficient meal preparation.

Serving Quality Food with Speed

Over two years ago, Kernel Foods tapped both chefs and engineers in New York City to create automation that would produce fresh food made consistently and quickly every day. Now, two Kernel storefronts serve sandwiches, salads, and composed veggie sides in an automated ballet that maximizes efficiency and customer satisfaction with a KUKA robot as the principal dancer.

Automating the Restaurant of the Future

The vision of Chipotle Mexican Grill founder and former CEO Steve Ells, Kernel takes Chipotle’s assembly line order processing a step further by using a KR 10 AGILUS R1100 HO (Hygienic Oil) robot alongside a svelte kitchen staff to quickly prepare and fill orders. Kernel’s COO, Peloton co-founder Tom Cortese, became acquainted with KUKA during his time as the fitness brand’s COO, relying on KUKA expertise and technology to build stationary bikes, treadmills and rowing machines for Peloton’s global market.

Kernel Foods uses robots to automate many aspects of food preparation and service.

The KR 10 is perfectly suited to high-output food production within a small space. All six axes use NSF H1 food-grade lubricant, and the robot can be mounted at virtually any angle from the floor, wall or ceiling. With a payload capacity of 10 kg and an 1100 mm reach, the KR 10 can handle its food sequencing tasks quickly and precisely, reducing the number of employees needed in Kernel’s kitchen.

Hygienic robot for foot handling — The KR AGILUS HO robot features hygienic oil and can safely work with food.

The fast, compact KR AGILUS equipped with a custom-designed gripper acts as the establishment’s expediter, the traffic director of a conventional restaurant. Its primary role is to streamline the final touches put on each dish. In operation, the KR AGILUS moves pre-loaded trays of food from a robot cell rack system to an automated conveyor to an impingement oven. At exactly the right time, it removes the tray from the oven and puts it on another conveyor where it is taken to a human employee who assembles the order to completion. The kitchen’s automated, robotic oven operation lies at the heart of Kernel’s business model of just-in-time reliable, consistent food preparation.

Matt Pinner, Director of Engineering, Kernel

We’ve tried to optimize our systems to let the machines do what they’re good at – the timing, the temperatures, and the sequencing – while letting our employees do what they’re really good at, which are the highly dexterous and high-variability tasks.

Matt Pinner, Director of Engineering

Working with Robots

After order assembly, the robot retrieves the used trays and stacks them in a discard module where they are readied for the dishwasher. The robot can also load various food trays into a buffer or waiting rack for incoming orders to keep order processing smooth and minimize frenzied multitasking that employees sometimes face during heavy traffic times.

Robot arm works in kitchen — By integrating robotics into its kitchen, Kernel leverages the efficiencies and synergies of humans and robots working side by side.

“This is where using a multi-axis KUKA robot along with the software we’ve developed and the automation technology we have around it allows us to simplify the operation, add an air of calm to an otherwise chaotic process and create a whole lot of consistency,” Cortese said

Automation for the food industry — Multi-axis robots were not the early focus for Kernel's initial system designs.

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AGILUS robot in Kernel kitchen — In addition to flexibility, the KR AGILUS’s speed, reach and reliability were key reasons why Kernel selected KUKA.

Selecting the Right Robot

“We knew we needed something that was going to operate 24/7 without fail because we’re hinging the rest of our operation and our staff around this technology,” Pinner said. “We also needed the precision to know we would not be constantly adjusting and touching up points. It needed to be one of our reliability rocks on which we’re building this entire operation.”

Hygienic automation for the food industry — The KR AGILUS HO provides a food-safe solution for reliably handling food.

With multiple locations and plans to expand the chain, the ability to remotely monitor and control the robots from the company’s New York headquarters was also extremely important. Having onsite technicians and engineers simply wasn’t feasible for the enterprise.

Adapting to Challenges in the Food Industry

Like many other sectors, the restaurant industry is facing headwinds and obstacles. To be successful, operations must navigate a path littered with economic, supply chain and workforce hazards. Kernel sees automation technology and robotics as a solution.

Robotic arm cooks food — Kernel sees automation technology and robotics as a solution to navigating food industry challenges as they grow.

“The food industry is certainly facing some challenges these days, and one of them revolves around labor,” Cortese said. “What we set out to do is look to determine what jobs are least appealing to people in the industry and where we can use automation to stand in, then make the rest of the jobs better paying and more desirable.

Robots Provide Reliability as Kernel Expands

As the company transitions from its rollout stage and plans for additional locations and further expansion, Kernel Foods is counting on robotic reliability and repeatability to feed customer appetites for fast food that is centered on quality, value and customer experience.

Kernel Foods Kitchen with Automation — Kernel relies on robotic reliability and repeatability to ensure a valuable experience for their customers.

“We really enjoy working with our KUKA team and appreciate the value they’ve been able to bring. I’m hoping this allows us to create an example of what a truly remarkable food solution can be that puts real chefs, great employees and automation systems together to create the perfect restaurant of the future.

Tom Cortese, Chief Operating Officer