ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., May 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fifty-eight percent of Americans have either eaten food cooked by a robot or would be interested in doing so, the latest example of changing attitudes regarding artificial intelligence outside everyday life, according to results from a national Xcelerant omnibus survey conducted on behalf of Nala Robotics, an AI technology company revolutionizing the culinary industry.
“It’s encouraging such wide swaths of Americans are interested in the benefits of culinary automation,” said Ajay Sunkara, cofounder and CEO, Nala Robotics, which will be demonstrating its autonomous robots at this year’s National Restaurant Association Show (Booth # 9402) at McCormick Place in Chicago from May 21-24. “Consumers are realizing that robots improve quality and food safety, while restaurants can increase productivity, lower costs and operate a kitchen anytime, anywhere.”
Dining Experience Benefits A majority of Americans (60 percent) say food cooked by a robot would be the same or better as a human, according to the survey. Respondents identified several other benefits at restaurants using robot chefs – some tied to pandemic-led precautions, others highlighting improvements in preparation and production. The top perceived dining benefits include:
Hygiene (contactless, human touch-free food handling) 58 percent
Consistency (no missing ingredients, dishes prepared as intended) 56 percent
Cross-contamination (avoids spread of harmful bacteria and allergy-causing foods) 32 percent
Industry Wide Adoption Respondents identified several examples of how robots could help combat systemic challenges in the restaurant industry, which has been decimated amid the pandemic and slower to recover than other sectors. Forty-two percent of survey respondents say robots help fill staffing shortages and 36 percent note they improve productivity. The survey also revealed that a vast majority of Americans (70 percent) believe robots will have either a positive or neutral effect on the future of the restaurant industry.
As awareness grows, so does consumer sentiment. Nearly seven out of 10 (69 percent) Americans who are aware of robot in restaurants have either eaten food cooked by a robot or are interested in doing so. Among that same cohort, 68 percent of respondents indicated food cooked by a robot would be better or comparable to food cooked by a human.
Restaurant automaton goes well beyond robots that cook food. Americans surveyed ranked several other tasks acceptable for robots:
Dishwasher (59 percent)
Cashier (40 percent)
Server/waiter (32 percent)
Delivery/courier (29 percent)
Host/hostess (27 percent)
“Artificial intelligence is inevitable and will continue to revolutionize the way restaurants operate, especially as awareness and consumer education grows,” added Sunkara. “Our survey reveals there are huge benefits and opportunities when it comes to robot automation in the culinary industry. We have seen our own fully automated chefs reduce labor costs by as much as 60 percent, helping address the ongoing staffing shortages affecting the food and hospitality sectors across the country.”
A Digital Divide While a majority of respondents indicated interest in eating food cooked by a robot (52 percent), younger adults signaled a much stronger desire. Interest peaked among Millennials (62 percent), followed by Gen Z (58 percent) and Gen X (54 percent). Baby Boomers were among the most resistant, with only 39 percent interested in trying food cooked by a robot.
About the Survey The Xcelerant omnibus survey was conducted from May 5 to May 6, 2022 by Directions Research among a demographically balanced nationally representative sample of 1,042 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older, weighted by age, gender, geographic region, race and education. Generations defined as: Generation Z (ages 18-25), Millennials (ages 26-41), Generation X (ages 42-57) and Baby Boomers (ages 58-76).
About Nala Robotics Nala Robotics is an AI technology company disrupting the culinary industry. Its innovations include the world’s first fully automated multi-cuisine chef, a customizable robot that uses machine learning to cook infinite recipes replicated with exact precision. The company is successfully demonstrating its technology at three company-owned restaurants in Naperville, Ill. under the Nala Restaurants Group name. These include: One Mean Chicken, a fried chicken concept; Surya Tiffins, a South Indian eatery; and Thai 76, a fast-food Thai canteen. The company also offers meal-plan subscriptions and pre-packaged “grab and go” food options at these restaurant locations. Based in Arlington Heights, Ill., Nala Robotics has offices in California, India and Ukraine. For more information, follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter @nalarobotics.
