The preparation of fried hen could be a laborious one, particularly in terms of Korean fried hen, which is usually double-fried.

Even when you handle to nail the method completely, reaching that good golden crispiness is a problem — an excessive amount of oil could make it soggy, whereas a low oil temperature can forestall it from reaching that satisfying crunch.

That is the place tech innovation steps in. Robert Hen, a Korean fried hen joint in Singapore, takes the artwork of making the proper Korean fried hen to an entire new stage — with robots.

On the helm of this culinary revolution is Robo Arete, a South Korean robotics startup based by the visionary 38-year-old Jiyoung Kang.

How do the robots work?

Whereas Robert Hen utilises robots to solely automate frying processes in Singapore, the restaurant chain employs them to deal with numerous duties comparable to breading, battering, marinating, and frying, throughout its shops in South Korea.

To start the method, a employees member has to firstly place the uncooked hen right into a bucket. With the contact of some buttons, the bucket routinely rotates, and a robotic dispenses breadcrumbs onto the hen and stirs it to make sure an excellent coating.

Following this, the robotic will switch the breaded hen right into a frying machine. One other robotic will then take over the frying course of, tossing the hen occasionally to make sure that it’s evenly cooked.

As soon as the hen is completely completed and crispy, the robotic removes it from the oil, giving it just a few good shakes to take away as a lot oil as doable, earlier than a employees member coats the hen in sauces.

The operation system of those robots, which is licensed by america’ Nationwide Sanitation basis, can be cloud-based. This enables Robo Arete to watch the standing of system in real-time and reply to any points straight.

Robert Hen’s founder was a former enterprise capitalist

Previous to beginning up Robo Arete, Jiyoung was a accomplice at a South Korean enterprise capitalist agency, Quick Ventures, the place she identifies and analyses market developments within the startup scene each day.

Whereas analysing these market developments, South Korea’s meals supply business, particularly, caught Jiyoung’s consideration. In 2018, the business boasted a valuation of round ₩5 trillion (about S$5 billion) — capturing even a modest one per cent market share would yield substantial good points.

Nonetheless, the meals supply market is notoriously exhausting to penetrate, on condition that the business is saturated with famend gamers which have an enormous model presence throughout the nation.

The one means for a corporation to face out on this aggressive market is by carving out a distinct segment, comparable to automation. This not solely units the corporate aside, but additionally permits for the constant supply of high-quality meals with unparalleled style.

Why isn’t the cooking robotic market larger but? There have been no firms trying [automated cooking] in Korea again in 2018. If that’s the case, I ought to do it myself, however what sort of meals automation would make sense in [South Korea]?

With these ideas in thoughts, I naturally began occupied with the Korean meals supply powerhouse: hen.

– Jiyoung Kang, founder and CEO, Robo Arete

Jiyoung turned her thought into actuality with the inception of Robo Arete — the mum or dad firm of Robert Hen — in 2018. Quick ahead to right now, there are 11 Robert Hen shops unfold throughout South Korea, with a further outlet in Singapore. The Singapore location, which opened in June 2023, marks the model’s first worldwide enlargement.

When requested about her choice to launch in Singapore, Jiyoung defined that she sees related potential for disruption within the city-state’s F&B scene.

“Using expertise, comparable to meals supply apps and contactless funds, is already prevalent in Singapore’s F&B sector. There is a chance for additional technological disruption, together with automation in kitchens,” she added.

The corporate confronted a turning level in 2019

Regardless of Robert Hen’s profitable worldwide and native enlargement, Jiyoung admitted that the model confronted a number of setbacks when it initially began out within the South Korean market again in 2018.

Whereas her expertise as a VC performed an incredible position in kickstarting the enterprise, she lacked the expertise and specialised data required to run the related applied sciences for Robert Hen.

I initially had little data of those applied sciences. Consequently, once I sought out specialists, I usually confronted dismissive attitudes, and I endured quite a few monetary, bodily, and emotional hardships. However once I replicate on it now, I imagine that these challenges had been what enabled me to finally “realise” my imaginative and prescient.

– Jiyoung Kang, founder and CEO, Robo Arete

In 2019, Robo Arete confronted a turning level when it managed to safe funding from the South Korean authorities. With the funds, the corporate invested into buying its first robotic and subsequently launched Robert Hen’s first outlet in Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea, 4 months later.

For the reason that launch of Robert Hen’s first outlet, the corporate has persistently channeled its efforts into refining its robotic fashions to spice up the effectivity of its shops and decrease operational prices. Initially, every of its robots may solely function one fryer at a time as they had been connected to the flooring of its shops.

For the opening of its second department, the corporate connected “robotic arms” to the ceiling of its shops as an alternative, permitting every arm to miss three fryers directly with out compromising the standard of its choices.

“I don’t assume there’s any level in doing a meals enterprise with robots if it may well’t enhance productiveness,” Jiyoung mentioned in a separate interview with Korea JoongAng Every day. “I don’t need our robots to boast flashy performances. I would like them to be quick, exact of their job, with zero fluctuations in meals high quality.”

Jiyoung shares that Robo Arete’s robots can now “completely perform the whole frying technique of every kind of things”. These robots may also be related to supply apps, permitting them to routinely begin getting ready orders as soon as it receives information from customers.

Past boosting the operational effectivity of its robots, Robo Arete has additionally carried out important R&D to raise the flavour profile of its fried hen. In spite of everything, style is what finally attracts prospects in.

When the startup carried out its first tasting session, Jiyoung was fast to confess that it was nothing wanting “a catastrophe”. The corporate unveiled eight menu objects, however solely considered one of it — the plain fried hen — garnered beneficial feedback.

Recognising the necessity for enchancment, Robo Arete continued creating and refining the recipes of their sauces. To additional bolster their efforts, the corporate cast a partnership with a famend “sauce professional” — who has a monitor document with considered one of South Korea’s main fried hen franchises — to give you new dishes and sauces that will completely complement these dishes.

Robert Hen plans to develop to US subsequent

As the corporate continues to develop, Jiyoung shares that it plans to develop and open extra Robert Hen shops, each throughout South Korea and internationally, by a grasp franchise enterprise mannequin.

Within the coming months, it’s trying to open a Robert Hen flagship retailer in New York Metropolis, one that will be located proper subsequent to the Empire state constructing.

Past Robo Arete’s enlargement plans for its fried hen model, the corporate is adopting a business-to-business (B2B) mannequin to provide its automated frying system to eating places that could be battling labour points.

To do that, the model has developed a compact system of those robots, making them smaller and extra cost-friendly to permit nearly any enterprise to “simply run their very own automated kitchen with out a big funding and area” to function these robots.

Our final aim is to make it straightforward for anybody to open an automatic retailer, and to have the ability to serve prospects personalised menus that may be routinely ready in accordance with personalised recipes.

– Jiyoung Kang, founder and CEO, Robert Hen

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Featured Picture Credit score: Robo Arete