Introduction

Running a commercial food business takes time and effort. You need to prepare ingredients, convey customer orders to the kitchen, cook food quickly, preserve food quality, and keep up with the rapid pace of operations. Many businesses are expanding to include online orders, ramping up the competition.

With rising operating costs and competition, business owners must find ways to keep costs low while increasing production volume. Automated kitchen equipment helps reduce cooking time, scale your business, and keep up with changing demands. 

According to Grand View Research, the high-tech kitchen equipment industry will grow by 17.9% annually from 2024 to 2030. There’s no better time to invest in innovative kitchen equipment than now.

This blog article shares 5 benefits of adopting kitchen technology innovations.
 

1. Reduce Human Error

A trained or experienced person must manually adjust traditional kitchen equipment. However, mistakes can still happen. If you’ve ever manually set the wrong cooking time or speed, you’ll understand how costly human error is in the food business. Messing up a dish delays other orders and affects customer satisfaction. According to Easy Food Handlers, human error costs a 20-table restaurant around $9000 every month.

Automated kitchen tech reduces human error and improves quality consistency. They automatically adjust and maintain fixed cooking settings like temperature and speed. Staff with less experience or training can operate them with minimal knowledge of equipment controls.

These are some ways that high-tech equipment helps reduce human error:

• Commercial ovens and steamers adjust the temperature depending on what is being cooked. No more burnt roast meats, pastries and dumplings.
• A smart fridge can set custom temperatures for different compartments. There's no need to buy separate refrigerators for ice cream (stored at -18°C) and vegetables (stored at 3 to 6°C).
• Blenders and tabletop mixers maintain regular mixing speeds. Pre-programme settings to customise the mixture’s consistency and texture. 
• A dispenser can monitor the temperature and volume of beverages. The dispenser will alert you when to refill drinks or schedule servicing.

2. Increase Efficiency

Smart kitchen technologies increase turnaround time and kitchen efficiency. In traditional cooking, chefs are busy preparing different dishes, and there may be delays. Precise, smart cooking reduces the cooking time between dishes.

Some types of versatile kitchen equipment can significantly reduce cooking time for more complex dishes. An automated pressure cooker is ideal for a commercial kitchen and a smart home. They use built-in steam to cook healthy food fast. A pressure cooker is around 70% faster than most traditional cooking methods.

Modern smart equipment is also energy efficient. Based on usage time and user behaviour, it can implement energy-saving features. In our previous blog, we learned about three things you can save by switching to energy-efficient equipment.
 

3. Upscaling

Most businesses want to upscale their operations by opening more outlets or going online. Social media and online ordering help you to reach a broader customer base.

When you expand your business, production volume and operational costs also increase. How do you cope with the rapidly increasing demand for orders?

Use smart appliances. They work faster than people for menial tasks like peeling potatoes, chopping vegetables, and grinding raw ingredients, allowing you to prepare more food in a shorter time.

Some businesses concentrate all their high-tech kitchen equipment in a central outlet or kitchen. They cook food in a central outlet and send prepared ingredients and dishes to secondary outlets.
 

4. Keep up With Changing Customer Demands

Smart kitchen technologies help your business keep up with changing customer demands. For instance, customers who pre-order via food delivery apps or online channels expect a shorter wait time. 

You can prepare food faster, which helps you meet customer expectations and increases customer satisfaction.
 

5. Cost Savings

These days, it’s expensive to hire and train a team of kitchen staff. Automated kitchen appliances save labour costs. You won’t have to rely on a large team for kitchen prep work. 

Do you own a startup or small-scale food business? High-tech equipment helps you save hiring and training costs for new employees. 

What if you run a large-scale restaurant business? Leave the prep work to the automated equipment. Kitchen staff can use their skills more effectively by curating the ingredients and assembling the final dish. You can redeploy extra staff to other outlets or areas.

It may sound counterintuitive, but investing in innovative kitchen equipment also helps you save on equipment costs. 

All-in-one innovative ovens, cookers or food processors can perform different cooking methods. Some have built-in functions to cook, roast, bake and keep food warm. You won’t need to purchase and maintain multiple equipment for different food preparation processes.

Conclusion

Smart kitchen innovations will pave the way for food businesses to upscale and experiment with different recipes in the future. They’ll help you meet changing customer demands better. Cutting edge equipment comes in various styles to suit all commercial kitchen designs.

OTN Machinery Sdn Bhd is Malaysia’s biggest kitchen equipment supplier, with years of experience helping food businesses in Malaysia and overseas. Our equipment is compliant with local safety regulations and maintenance standards.