Year Ender 2023: How Artificial Intelligence stirred up food business, restaurants this year

AI-powered chefs & kitchen automation

Robots are no longer just flipping burgers! From Flippy, the burger-flipping robot arm, to pizza-making robots, AI is automating repetitive tasks in kitchens, freeing up human chefs for more creative endeavours. For instance, American Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle is testing an AI-powered robot called Chippy to make its tortilla chips. Indian online restaurant company, Rebel Foods that operates 11 cloud kitchen brands including the popular Faasos, Behrouz Biryani and Oven Story Pizza, employs software, robotics and automation for large-scale and consistent food preparation. Some of their projects include Visual AI QC machines that can detect the size, weight, appearance and temperature of each prepared dish and reject or accept based on specified norms. They also use robotic smart fryers and automated woks that dispense oil and other ingredients, adjust oil temperature, dip and fry, amongst other jobs.

Hyper-personalised recommendations

Imagine a restaurant or an app that knows your favourite dish, dietary restrictions, and even your current mood, and suggests restaurants or tailors menus and products accordingly. AI is making this possible through analysing customer data and preferences. Developed by young Indian entrepreneur Sunil Tej and currently available in New York City and Bay Area, Gulpie is one such personal food guide app that skims through scores of restaurants to filter options based on your taste, preference, dietary concerns including allergies, specific cravings and your friends’ reviews. You can swipe through restaurants based on time of the day, weather and crowd in the evening. The UK online food delivery store, FoodHub does personalised product recommendations based on the food habits of their customers. It segments its customers based on previous selections, purchase cycle and affinity. The multinational pancake house, IHOP has become the first restaurant chain to use Google’s Recommendation AI and BigQuery software to analyse customer’s past orders and preferred price range to recommend dishes they might like.

Predictive inventory management & food waste reduction  

AI can analyse past sales data and predict future demand, helping restaurants optimise inventory levels and reduce food waste. Win win for both the restaurant and the environment! Chipotle uses a system from PreciTaste that monitors inventory levels, tells restaurants when to restrock and also analyses traffic patterns to help forecast demand, taking into account weather and local events that could impact traffic. In California, online grocery delivery service Imperfect Foods uses AI to identify and purchase ‘ugly’ or misshapen produce that would otherwise be discarded by supermarkets. They then deliver these perfectly edible fruits and vegetables to customers at discounted prices, reducing food waste and offering affordable groceries. In India, food delivery giants Zomato and Swiggy both employ AI to analyze restaurant data and predict menu item demand, helping restaurants optimise their inventories, while reducing food waste and saving money along the way. Swiggy also uses AI to identify restaurants with excess food nearing expiry, connect these restaurants with NGOs and shelters, and help donate the food to those in need.

AI-powered delivery optimisation

How about saying goodbye to late pizzas or cold food, and receiving groceries within minutes? AI algorithms are now optimising delivery routes, taking into account real-time traffic and weather conditions to ensure faster and more efficient food delivery. The largest food delivery company in the US, DoorDash uses AI algorithms to optimise delivery routes in real-time, considering factors like traffic conditions, weather, and driver availability, ensuring faster deliveries and happier customers. Another American restaurant ordering and delivery platform, ChowNow uses AI to predict customer orders based on past behaviour and weather patterns. This allows restaurants to prepare ingredients in advance, reducing wait times and improving delivery efficiency. In India, BlinkIt uses AI to optimise delivery routes and predict traffic patterns, ensuring faster deliveries for customers. They’ve even launched pilot programs with drones and robots for last-mile delivery in select areas. Swiggy Instamart’s AI-powered grocery delivery service uses algorithms to optimise delivery routes and warehouse operations, leading to faster deliveries and fresher groceries for customers.

Conversational AI chatbots

Need to make a reservation, ask a menu question or raise a complaint regarding food quality? AI chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated, providing 24/7 customer service and freeing up human staff for other tasks. Zomato’s AI-powered chatbot helps users with tasks like placing orders, tracking deliveries and resolving queries. While Swiggy’s AI chatbot ‘Genie’ helps users order groceries, food and other essentials through voice commands. This hands-free experience makes ordering even more convenient. Taco Bell’s TacoBot can answer customer questions about the menu, make recommendations, and even take orders through Facebook Messenger. While Pizza Hut’s voice-activated assistant makes ordering pizza as easy as having a conversation, while also tracking deliveries and redeeming rewards points.

Personalised nutrition coaching
Achieving your health goals is now easier than ever before with food apps suggesting meals based on your fitness goals and health data. AI-powered nutrition coaching is becoming a reality, helping people make informed food choices and live healthier lives. Noom Coach analyzes your eating habits and provides personalised coaching to help you reach your weight loss or fitness goals. It suggests meals, tracks your progress, and offers motivational support, making healthy eating feel less like a chore. Carb Manager uses AI to track your macros (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) and provide personalised meal plans based on your dietary needs and goals. It even integrates with grocery delivery services to make healthy eating even more convenient. Indian digital health and wellness company, HealthifyMe offers services such as calorie tracking and advice on nutrition and fitness through their apps that can also be integrated with smart wearables. Their AI nutritionist Ria, which is also the world’s first AI-powered virtual nutritionist, learns from millions of messages and food and workout logs to offer food suggestions, recipes and even workout regimes.

Immersive dining experiences

AI is being used to create interactive and immersive dining experiences, like virtual reality restaurants or tables that project personalised menus and animations. Known as the world’s tiniest chef standing at just 6cms tall, Le Petite Chef has generated quite the buzz wherever he's travelled, with sold-out shows in Singapore, Dubai, London, Rome and Delhi earlier this year. The 1.5 hour show in Delhi held at a specifically-fitted room at Shangri-La Eros New Delhi brought the best of 3D mapping technology and creative cuisine to the table, paired with a five-course classic European menu, with each course preceded by and inspired from a particular scene in the story. Developed by Belgium-based Skullmapping, the innovative dining experience employs overhead 3D projection mapping to transform your table into an immersive theatre showcasing the story of a tiny animated chef.