At last month’s Sial Food Show in Paris, Romanian company Bobnet unveiled its Bob Bistro technology created to help hospitality operators automate restaurants using the IoT.

The technology consists of a series of smart fridge-type devices equipped with artificial intelligence and a grab-and-go technology with hundreds of sensors. It was created to help hospitality operators sell and serve fresh culinary products in an automated way, without human intervention.

Due to automation of the entire process of serving the food, using a Bob Bistro restaurant does not require human involvement for ordering, serving or paying, everything being managed by the logistics system and the technology. Benefits include reduced food waste, better control over food freshness and quality, availability round the clock, and reduced costs for maintenance and staff.

The consumer can access the menus offered by the automated restaurants fast and easily through self-service, by using a mobile app. Once purchased in the app, the dish can be heated on the spot using the built-in oven and served immediately at specially designed tables.

“Since we strongly believe that the future belongs to the world of the internet of things, where software applications are complemented by advanced hardware devices, we have developed this new product Bob Bistro to help hospitality operators reduce both logistics and labour costs, which often affect considerably the profit of companies that do business with food products,” said Mihail Girnet, CEO of Bobnet. “Our solution is complete and automates the entire chain of operational processes for restaurants and cafeterias, including logistics, supply, sales and after-sales services. The Bob Bistro restaurant can be easily implemented and operated by companies from different industries, from hospitality companies to any institution that needs to facilitate the serving of fresh food for immediate consumption.”

The automated restaurant can be scaled and implemented in multiple locations and buildings such as factories, office buildings, hotels and guesthouses, schools and hospitals, allowing it to be managed remotely at low cost. The automated restaurant technology has already been implemented and used by users in residential buildings in 125 locations in Europe.

Sial is an event for the global food and beverage industry. It is among the central hubs for learning about the latest trends and innovations in the sector. Founded in 1946, the show takes place once every two years and is a meeting platform for professionals working in the industry.