Are AI-Powered Robots the Future of Healthy Fast Food Models? Blendid brings investment opportunities in personalization.
By StackCommerce Edited by Jason Fell
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Accessibility to food made in the safest environment possible is an important goal as we ride the tides of Covid-19. However, the pivoting of restaurants has been challenged as they look for ways to restructure, restaff, and safely reopen worldwide. Due to the recent pressures of the pandemic, quick-service restaurants in the U.S. dropped to $239 billion in revenue last year—compared to $273 billion in 2019. Blendid is taking on these challenging times with a solution.
It's no secret that convenience and monetary confinements often tend to overcome nutritional value when it comes to our to-go food choices. Blendid, a robotic food automation solution with commercial contracts and strategic investment under its belt from global brands, has found a way to bring personalized, accessible, and healthy food on the go with the help of AI.
With more than two years of public operating experience and over 45,000 smoothies served across multiple U.S. locations such as colleges and Walmart locations including a co-branded Jamba by Blendid location in Dixon, Calif., Blendid is creating a buzz. As stated by co-founder and CEO Vipin Jain in a recent interview with Robotics Tomorrow, "Traditionally, fresh food has been costly to serve, but automation will change that. Robotic automation can provide the right economics to make fresh food economics make sense for both the operator and consumer."
With a focus on operational support, while food costs rise and with contactless ordering at an all-time high, Blendid's team is on a mission to create a seamless digital experience with greater consistency and lower overhead than traditional foodservice models.
So, how exactly does it work? A dedicated app allows you to customize your menu item and pay directly from your smartphone. Your order is then processed through Blendid's innovative AI engine, and the product is made to order with fresh ingredients at the kiosk. A notification is then sent when your order is ready for pickup. It's that simple. Most importantly, each customer's preferences are noted, refining the user experience with every order.
With innovative algorithms and a full Restaurant Management System in place, each kiosk contains a complete suite of necessary tools, including inventory management, remote monitoring, troubleshooting, and more—fully functioning like a well-oiled, autonomous machine that serves up healthy and affordable food. And, although hesitation may accompany an automated food service experience revolution, it's important to note that human jobs are not meant to be replaced. On the contrary, the industry will continue to be led and managed by human staff, playing an integral role in the food robotics evolution.
Blendid's combination of technology is being finessed each day, with ten patents either already granted or in process in software-based food preparation and cloud-driven distributed IoT management—and smoothies are just the beginning. Blendid is looking to eventually add to its portfolio with soups, bowls, salads, and more—providing a unique experience that is convenient and fresh along the way. The future of healthy fast food is taking off, and we're here for it.
