A FANUC robot takes the lead in the kitchen

Recruiting qualified staff has become a persistent challenge for many hospitality businesses. Signs in bars and restaurants highlight the scale of the problem. According to a recent report by Hotrec, the trade association representing hospitality businesses across Europe, hotels, restaurants and cafés are facing staffing shortages equivalent to 10 percent of the workforce they need. Among the hardest roles to fill are kitchen positions, not least because night shifts, intense time pressure and overtime are standard in many establishments. As a result, robots are increasingly taking over cooking tasks in fast-food restaurants, canteens and catering operations. 

Since this April, the Hella Globe Hotel in Lippstadt, Westphalia, has a robotic kitchen assistant on site. The system can prepare around 180 different dishes and, on its first day in operation, served 50 invited guests a five-course menu including Mexican tacos, risotto pomodoro, strozzapretti limone and caramelised pineapple. “In the past, we could only offer our guests breakfast, but now they can enjoy a hot and varied selection of dishes around the clock,” says Ronja Busch, manager of hvs Catering GmbH, which is responsible for the Hella Hotel. 

The fully automated cooking system consists of an 8 m2 metal module in which a FANUC robot operates eight hotplates, a refrigerator and an integrated washing function. It was developed by Hamburg-based start-up goodBytz. “In the kitchen, everything happens simultaneously: heat, timing, movement, different ingredients,” says goodBytz founder Hendrik Susemihl. “Our system moves hot pans with precision, portions ingredients down to the second and ensures that every dish is prepared exactly as required. This enables us to provide fresh, hot food at any time, independently of traditional kitchen workflows.” 

Together with his two co-founders and with the support of robotics company FANUC, Susemihl – an engineer with a doctorate and a robotics specialist – developed a system that operates reliably and hygienically, withstands heat and steam, and can process a large number of orders consistently in a short time and within a very compact space. “The FANUC robot enables us to assemble the system quickly, integrate it easily, and operate it with absolute reliability,” says Susemihl. 

The robot uses its own control logic, enabling intelligent planning even during peak periods when many orders are placed at once. “For every order, our software recalculates how processes can be combined most efficiently,” says Susemihl. “The robot must work flexibly while maintaining repeatable precision. FANUC delivers exactly what we need, particularly through its experience and expertise in control technology.” 

The LR Mate robot stands out for its industrial-grade performance, high acceleration and low weight. At the same time, it meets the requirements of food processing, with suitable seals, food-grade materials and a high protection rating, even under conditions of heat, humidity and intensive cleaning. The fact that it is a mass-produced model was another advantage, because for a growth-oriented company like goodBytz, a stable supply chain is just as important as technical quality. 

goodBytz already operates autonomous kitchen systems in businesses, hospitals, universities, food retail and others. The systems are used wherever fresh food must be reliably available – for example, in staff canteens and industrial operations with shift work. While kitchen staff can focus on menu planning, quality control and restocking ingredients, the robot takes over tasks at the hob.