On October 27, Wang Liwen reports from Chengdu for China News Service that the aroma of cooking fills the air in a community restaurant in Chengdu’s Jinjiang District. With just 120 grams of shredded pork, 150 grams of shredded green bamboo shoots, and 30 grams of shredded wood ear mushrooms loaded into a preparation box, a user simply selects the “Fish Flavored Shredded Pork” option. The intelligent cooking machine springs to life, preheating, adding oil, following the order of ingredients, and quickly stir-frying everything to perfection. In just 63 seconds, a beautifully plated dish is ready to be served to eager diners.
As technology advances, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the restaurant industry continues to expand. China’s first “certified” AI restaurant robot has made its debut in Beijing, while an intelligent coffee machine in a Shanghai park offers over 50 different flavors of coffee. The emergence of AI chefs is creating what some call a “catfish effect,” spurring changes and developments throughout China’s culinary landscape.
Walk into a bustling restaurant kitchen, and you’ll find five smart cooking machines, each showcasing their abilities to fry, sauté, cook, and deep-fry. Staff assist in operating these machines, preparing ingredients, and packaging dishes. Thanks to this human-machine collaboration, the establishment can serve up to 600 customers in a single day.
Diner Yang Junfei marvels at the array of dishes presented on his table, which includes classics like twice-cooked pork, mapo tofu, and pickled fish. “It’s unbelievable,” he exclaims. “The taste is great, and the service is fast. You wouldn’t guess that a machine cooked it unless the owner told you.” During peak dining hours, he received nearly ten different dishes in under half an hour.
Huang Tianyong, the brand founder of the restaurant, breaks down the economics. Cooking spicy chicken manually takes 8 to 10 minutes and costs between 7 to 13 RMB (about $1 to $2), whereas the cooking machine only requires 3.5 minutes at a minimal energy cost of around 0.5 RMB. Since rebranding in 2019 and relying on their proprietary cooking machines, Huang has opened over 30 Sichuan cuisine restaurants across China and is expanding to locations in the U.S., Germany, and Singapore.
Similarly, Ma Changyin, the owner of a renowned dining chain in Chengdu’s Jinniu District, is exploring the potential of smart cooking machines. Since introducing one in July, he notes, “The low cost and high stability are the machine’s biggest advantages, making it well-suited for hospitals, universities, and catering events.” Having worked in the industry for about 30 years, the chef acknowledges that a single cooking machine struggles to meet the diverse dish preferences of walk-in customers and can fall short with certain dishes like cold and marinated items.
For local chef Luo Jian, the charm of an “AI chef” lacks the authentic touch. He believes that the interaction between ingredients and cooking times is rooted in a chef’s experience, which cannot be easily replicated by machines. Nonetheless, he appreciates the affordable prices, stating, “Eating out is all about convenience and value.”
Lian Xiangjian, an agent for a brand of cooking machines, emphasizes that the true strength of these machines lies in their ability to create a platform that utilizes big data to offer insights to restaurant managers, potentially paving the way for a new “skill payment” model. He explains that his brand’s 3,400 machines operate daily in kitchens across different locations, and through promotion and integration, they could eventually lead to a comprehensive global “cloud recipe” database. This would allow restaurants to access menus online, enhance their service capabilities, and foster continuous innovation in new dish creation.
Yuan Xiaoran, Executive Vice President of the Chengdu Restaurant Industry Association, analyzes this trend, noting that advancements in online payment, smart ordering, unmanned delivery, and big data analytics for customer preferences are gradually transforming each aspect of the restaurant industry. This digital shift is enhancing service efficiency and optimizing customer experience, further promoting the industry’s transformation. Given their convenience, efficiency, and replicability, smart cooking machines are playing a significant role in helping Sichuan cuisine expand internationally. Yuan urges restaurateurs to embrace this change and engage in the wave of digital transformation, while hoping that digital trade companies take the time to understand industry needs, providing precise, efficient solutions that can truly invigorate the culinary scene.
