In response to a growing demand from businesses with limited or nonexistent on-site foodservice, Chowbotics has launched an off-premise kitchen business unit to accommodate sales of its flagship product, Sally the Salad Robot. This new division will work with commissary kitchen partners that will clean the robots’ ingredient canisters, prepare ingredients for filling the canisters, and deliver the canisters to businesses. Chowbotics’ mission is to offer nutritious food anytime, anywhere using the power of robotics. This off-premise kitchen business unit will take the company one step further in achieving that goal.
Leading the charge is Lee Greer, a 30-year industry veteran, who begins his new role as Vice President, Off-Premise Kitchen Business Unit, today. “Robotics allows us to provide a fresh, customizable fast casual experience within any office,” says Lee. “I am delighted we can now make this a reality.”
Lee founded a startup in the 1980s called Delivery Dynamics, the first outsourced, contracted delivery service provider to restaurants with dedicated order entry and delivery staff on-site. Through Delivery Dynamics, he developed delivery programs for TGI Friday’s and Jason’s Deli, among others.
In 1994, Lee was hired as Chief Marketing Officer for Jason’s Deli, and his almost-25-year journey with the fast casual deli chain began. While overseeing the marketing department, he created a pioneering online ordering platform which resulted in the venture capital-funded startup, OrderTalk. Lee was responsible for many “firsts” in the industry including Order by Invitation for online group ordering. He played an important role in building the catering business for Jason’s Deli, which now comprises a significant portion of the company’s revenue. After 13 years as CMO, Lee transitioned to Chief Strategy Officer. In that role, he identified, segmented, researched, and customized product and service development to meet customer needs; experience that will benefit him in his new position at Chowbotics. Lee is no stranger to innovation; in his most recent role at Jason’s Deli, he championed the development of the company’s mobile app, which is on track to double first year projected revenue and download goals.
Lee is based in Chowbotics’ Dallas office and will work with the engineering team and commissary kitchen partners to develop solutions for transporting canisters, refilling ingredients, cleaning the robots, optimizing vending routes, and more. He will oversee sales, marketing, and the design of Sally for off-premise kitchen clients such as offices, malls, motels, train stations, airports, and more.
Recently selected as a finalist for Fast Company’s 2018 World Changing Ideas Awards, Sally delivers precise portions and serves up vibrant, forward-thinking salads in places where fresh, made-to-order food might not otherwise exist. Cafeterias, convenience stores, restaurants and hotels, among other commercial venues, are locations that can use Sally to bring healthy, delicious food to consumers. Sally’s key differentiator is that it offers more than 10,000 custom salad options. Salads are created in approximately a minute with any combination of up to 22 ingredients. Users can fine tune the calorie total by adding or subtracting ingredients via a touchscreen. The technology used in Sally can be adapted for customizable fruits, yogurt, breakfast, Asian bowls, and more in the future.
Chowbotics has been recognized by The New York Times, Food & Wine, Bloomberg Pursuits, CNN, CNBC, WIRED, TechCrunch and many more influential national publications for its creation of Sally and the robot’s impact on the foodservice industry. Fast Company named Sally one of “10 Restaurant Innovations Changing the Way We Eat.” The San Francisco Business Times named Chowbotics one of “Five Companies Reinventing the Way Restaurants and Consumers Do Business.” For more information, or to request a Sally demo for your business, please visit http://www.chowbotics.com.
Source: Chowbotics
