Sally the Robot

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April 23, 2019

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August 13, 2019

2019 has proved to be the year of technology within the foodservice industry. We’re seeing a massive shift in the way we eat and interact with our food. Customers have come to expect customization and innovation and with that growing demand to incorporate technology into restaurants, it was only a matter of time before products like Sally the Robot were created.

Sally The Robot (yes, Sally is her real name) was created by Chowbotics Inc, founded by Dr. Deepak Sekar, an inventor with more than one hundred patents and the creator of the world’s first fresh-food making robot.

Sally serves up customizable, made-to-order salads, snacks, breakfast bowls, and grain bowls. Using 22 different ingredients, including everything from romaine lettuce, walnuts, tomatoes, cheese, and olives, she can make a variety of different meals in a matter of minutes. To provide some context to what types of bowls are available, Sally can create savoury items like poke or salad bowls, or whip up breakfast blends like acai and smoothie bowls.

Greek Salad

Yogurt and Granola

Protein Bowl

Even though Sally is small, she can create 50 to 100 meals before needing to be restocked (this range will vary depending on the size of the bowls being created). Ingredients are kept fresh in a controlled temperature section which minimizes the risk of contamination or foodborne illnesses, so customers can rest easy knowing that each bowl is made fresh.

The best part about Sally is that she only takes up a 3x3 space, which is roughly the size of a small bar fridge or ATM. This makes her ideal for establishments where space limitations can be a challenge. Sally’s creators are hopeful that this new technology will solve labour problems, high turnover, and efficiency challenges that riddle the foodservice industry. But if you’re worried that robots will replace human workers, fear not, Sally still needs human invention. For the time being, users still need to chop and replace the ingredients that go into the canisters.

Many customers have raved about the ability to adjust the nutritional profile of their meal simply by adding or subtracting ingredients. This technology, with several patents pending, is also applicable to other cuisines and a wide variety of ingredients. The process of making a meal from start to finish, as well as knowing what is going into it, has proved to be a huge selling feature and much of the reason for Sally’s success.