That is why it is important for restaurateurs to update employee training to keep pace with technological side of the operation. Whether robots per se will become common in restaurant kitchens is questionable. Instead of training people, we're training equipment so that it knows what to do. A model by manufacturer Henny Penny, based in Eaton, Ohio, is programmable for up to 99 nine-step cooking programs. The user merely presses a button-the oven knows the appropriate cooking cycles and the amount of heat and steam to apply.
Many models are multilingual, making it easy for today's multicultural staff to use.
The new smart equipment combines speed with intelligence. For example, both the Accellis C70 Oven and the Vulcan-Hart FlashBake Ovens can be preprogrammed to cook items. The oven has a keyboard that Blodgett programs for food items, such as pizza. Smart equipment decreases the need for experienced staff, and is ideal for large multiunit companies, because it reduces employee-training time and allows for consistent results across the units, he says. However, smart equipment will never replace highly trained chefs, says Ashcraft, a former chef himself.