Takeaways from NAFEM Show

It was an electrifying show at?North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers?(NAFEM) in Orlando earlier this month. We had the opportunity to talk to hundreds of people throughout the show as we demonstrated that latest in commercial kitchen equipment and automation.

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Below are the themes that resonated the most with L2F team during NAFEM.

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Profitability and Operational Efficiencies

Restaurant operators (QSRs, Fast Casual, etc.), universities and amusement parks are struggling with increasing food costs, increasing wage rates, lack of labor and labor turnover from dull/dirty/repetitive jobs. Operators want to drive more profit back in their business given these dynamics so they are taking a deeper look into automation. Using automation and robotics to perform a task the same way every time reduces the amount of labor needed but also produces a high quality and repeatable result.?FryBot? was part of the Automated Burger and Chicken Bar that served over 1,100 orders during NAFEM and it demonstrated how automation helps efficiencies in the deep frying process. FryBot? was doing a pre-fry basket shake to remove excess breading from the fries and chicken tenders before going into the fryer which extends the life of the oil. FryBot? also did a post-fry basket shake to shake off the excess oil back into the fryer which saves on oil cost.

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Increased Automation Solutions

We saw several automated pizza concepts, some that were cooking and serving attendees and others that were demonstrating their technology.?PizzaBot?was preparing and cooking cheese, pepperoni and combo pizzas at the show. Operators and leaders were able to see how much food could be produced with just one person managing the automated kitchen. Operators understand how much waste and repetitive tasks there are in the process of preparing a pizza. Attendees were able to witness how automation is helping with these challenges. PizzaBot was constantly making pizzas throughout the show and served over 550 orders. We saw other automated solutions at the show including automated fryers and serving robots, it is great to see more and more solutions hit the market.

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Connected Kitchen Equipment?

More food service operators and leaders are looking into solutions like?Open Kitchen?to enhance equipment performance, gain operational efficiencies, increase their QA and food safety scores and reduce energy expenses. Leaders are evaluating IoT solutions to manage their data, making their operation as efficient as possible. Industry leaders continue to discuss the importance of making sure these IoT solutions are based on an open protocol so adoption is easy, more common and cost effective. Manufacturers have the tools, now it is time to use open protocols, and help the food service industry move to the next level of connected kitchen equipment.

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Great Food and People

Taffer’s Tavern in the Middleby booth served some great food from their ventless operation including Roast Beef Au Jus, Pork Belly Skewers and Coconut Shrimp to name a few. We were able to enjoy the company of colleagues, partners and customers during the NAFEM All-Industry Event with the Brad Paisley concert. It was truly an electrifying show and great to catch up with everyone since the last show pre-covid.

?Ordering Screen from?pointofsale.cloud

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It was a pleasure to learn more from industry experts at the show and see the adoption and innovation of technology. What were your takeaways from NAFEM?