NEW YORK — Robotic kitchen startup Aniai has taken hamburger cooking accuracy to the next level with its innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Alpha Cloud.
Using state-of-the-art vision sensors built into their flagship robotic grill, Alpha Grill, Alpha Cloud captures real-time, before and after, images of patties. Alpha Cloud then transmits this visual data to Aniai’s cloud-based OS and uses AI technologies to analyze and score the ‘doneness’ of each patty surface.
This technology not only guarantees that each patty is cooked to perfection but also addresses common challenges such as uneven cooking and undercooking. By integrating Alpha Cloud into the kitchen, burger restaurants can achieve a level of patty consistency and quality that was previously unattainable.
“We’re automating quality control for Quick Service Restaurants. Now, instead of spending exorbitant amounts of money flying QA teams across the globe to analyze patties locally, Alpha Cloud provides a centralized, real-time analysis of every single patty cooked,” says Aniai’s CTO, Minsu Ji.
In addition to enhancing food quality in real-time, Alpha Cloud also helps restaurant managers optimize their kitchen operations with a detailed analytics dashboard that provides historical insights into Alpha Grill’s status, cooking volume by time, and recipes. This aspect of Alpha Cloud is particularly appealing to Quick Service Restaurants looking to improve their service delivery in competitive markets.
Aniai unveiled Alpha Cloud to over 60,000 attendees in early May at the National Restaurant Association Show, the world’s largest restaurant trade show. For a second year in a row, Aniai won the Kitchen Innovations (KI) Award, presented by a panel of expert judges who evaluate solutions that contribute to automation, efficiency, safety, and sustainability in the foodservice industry.
“Winning KI for Alpha Cloud shows that we’re solving really important problems burger joints are facing,” says Aniai’s CEO Gunpil Hwang. “Hamburger patties can vary in cooking results even under the same cooking conditions (temperature, time) based on external and often unpredictable factors. With Alpha Cloud, we are not just advancing technology in the kitchen, we are setting new standards for what restaurant food should be. Our solution ensures that every hamburger patty meets high quality standards, which in return increases customer satisfaction.”
With their recent pre-series A round of $12M, Aniai is betting on a future where technology supports the many issues the foodservice industry faces. When Alpha Cloud goes live early next year, burger joints will be able to solve one very, real and often costly problem – they will better control undercooked patties and take food quality to the next level.
About Aniai (www.aniai.ai)
Founded in 2020 and based in New York City, Aniai is a global innovator in automation and AI within the foodservice sector. The company’s mission is to empower restaurants to improve their kitchen operations by delivering intelligent solutions that increase production and enhance quality and service.
Aniai’s flagship Alpha Grill empowers restaurant team members to focus on crafting high-quality burgers while improving the employee experience by automating numerous mundane and repetitive tasks, including grill cleaning and cook time management. The semi-autonomous grill features a rapid cooking system with a double-sided grill capable of preparing up to 200 patties per hour and includes an innovative self-cleaning function.
