Kitchen equipment is getting smarter and more sophisticated, according to restaurant operators and organizers of the biennial North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers Show, scheduled for Feb. 26-28 in Atlanta.
Restaurant brands are increasingly taking advantage of advances in equipment. Take, for example, Krystal, the Atlanta-based quick serve that recently reopened six units in the Georgia area after remodeling. The company looked at new equipment for those stores and particularly invested in digital menuboards, which will be displayed at the NAFEM Show.
The slider brand uses the boards to feature its $4.99 Krystal Meal Deal, highlight its customizable Pick Five menu, and reintroduce its Ultimate Hangover Cure combination, which features two sliders, loaded chili-cheese fries, and small Icee for $12.99.
Deirdre Flynn, NAFEM’s director of communications, said 42 new products will be featured in a special gallery at this year’s show, all of it developed since the 2023 show.
“They had to meet criteria, which we have always had for the gallery, to be cost-effective, have an energy conservation aesthetic and appeal that helped in the delivery of the food product that the operator was serving to its guests,” Flynn said.
The items also conserve space, she said, and help save on labor with a reliance on technology.
“You’re going to see a big influx of technological advancements in products again to address labor concerns and energy efficiency,” Flynn said.
She said operators should challenge exhibitors to explain to them how their products can help solve their challenges in the kitchen.
“I think also recognizing that connectivity is important and that ease of use is important with menus changing,” Flynn said. “How can they maximize efficiency and the equipment that they’re using to help them manage all the other aspects of running a restaurant or food facility, which includes maximizing and managing food costs, managing labor costs, managing customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction so that they continue to get that repeat business?”
The NAFEM Show will also include technology-enhanced items such as food lockers, an item that became highly popular during the social distancing of the pandemic.
“You’ll still see a great influx of food lockers and other grab-and-go types of products to help the speed of service and to allow for how we all adjusted during since the pandemic,” Flynn said.
The NAFEM program also includes an educational component, Flynn said. Speakers from chains as varied as Chick-fil-A and White Castle will discuss how technology is connecting the kitchen to the customer.
Facility design, emphasized by the smaller equipment that is being introduced, will also be an aspect of the NAFEM Show this year, she said.
Sustainability and innovation in smart and connected kitchens will be a large focus of the NAFEM Show. The online connectivity of equipment such as ovens, refrigerators, and fryers allows for monitoring and control via apps, Flynn said.
Predictive maintenance and reducing costs will also be part of the exhibition, along with reduction in energy consumption and smart use of inventory.
Automation and robotics remain an area where restaurant operators are still trying to get a toehold. Chipotle Mexican Grill, for example, in November sold its Cultivate Fund-invested Autocado division to Serve Robotics Inc.
Serve Robotics had partnered with Shake Shack to roll out autonomous robotic delivery. The company also works with Uber Eats and 7-Eleven. Vebu’s Autocado is its signature product, eliminating the need for employees to cut, core, and scoop up to 25 avocados at a time to prepare guacamole.
According to Serve Robotics, the acquisition is expected to provide its restaurant partners with a suite of automation solutions and expand its offerings beyond delivery and into back-of-house automation.
Advanced refrigeration technology is also expected to be on display at the NAFEM Show, along with ecologically friendly coolants.
With the Trump administration cutting back on some government-funded programs, food safety and health issues will also be addressed at the NAFEM Show. It will highlight newer technologies, such as self-sanitizing kitchen surfaces that deploy ultraviolet light.
Among new innovations, the Middleby Corp. will be displaying the Invoq Hybrid kitchen appliance. The 6 1/1 GN model offers a combination of an energy efficient boiler with an injection steam system. Smart sensors and integrated drain and inlet systems allow the oven to deliver fast, efficient, and safe high-density steam saturation. The steam production and the automated cleaning system are controlled to use a minimum of energy and water without ever compromising quality results.
