Fast casual restaurant uses Viam to automate precise ingredient batching and accelerate orders

Siloed systems and inaccurate ingredient dispensing slow down busy restaurants

The restaurant’s workflow was fragmented: an order management system consolidated orders from both in-house and online, sending them to the restaurant’s kitchen display system. However, staff had to constantly monitor the display, manually acting on orders as they appeared.

Ingredient batching also relied on manual processes, with dispensers unable to verify if the correct ingredients were loaded for each dish or substitution. Incorrectly mixed portions led to food waste and delays as new batches had to be prepared, slowing down operations.

The restaurant needed a flexible, user-friendly platform to integrate order management, kitchen display systems, and dispensers, automating precise portioning and boosting efficiency.

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Flexible computer vision to accurately automate ingredient sorting

Viam provided a simple solution to automate accurate ingredient batching and portioning through computer vision (CV), streamlining the restaurant’s operations. Here's how it works:

1. Viam is installed on the order management system, kitchen display, and dispensers to enable sharing data.
2. A custom computer vision model ensures recipe adherence, built during setup using dispenser images.
3. Orders now trigger automatic verification of ingredients through the CV model, reducing manual errors.
4. Ingredients are more accurately dispensed and weighed per recipe specifications and customer substitutions. 
5. The system alerts staff when ingredients are ready, need refilling, or are out too long, boosting kitchen efficiency.

Once ingredients are staged and portioned, the system signals to kitchen staff to begin cooking, significantly reducing human error in ingredient selection and measurement.

The benefits of restaurant machine automation through Viam

• Universal compatibility: The Viam platform works with any restaurant’s machines, components, or cameras, regardless of manufacturer.  
• Simple computer vision deployment: Viam CV pipelines allow for one-click deployment of any pre-existing CV model to machines without needing to create your own.
• Easily make CV models from your data: Use a simple image labeling interface and native CV pipelines to quickly learn from real images and adjust to new inputs. 
• Full data ownership and security: You have complete control over the data and the models you create. All data is fully encrypted in motion and at rest. 
• No Wi-Fi dependencies: Run CV securely in the cloud with connectivity, or locally for optimized performance when cloud access isn't available.
• Manage CV from any mobile device: Run the Viam app on any smartphone or tablet to allow employees to ensure accurate configuration and ingredient verification.

Viam’s platform allowed the restaurant chain to automate ingredient batching and portioning, leading to impressive projected outcomes. Enhanced precision in batching ensured consistent recipe adherence, while streamlined preparation processes enabled staff to work more efficiently, minimizing errors typically caused by manual tasks. This automation also helped reduce customer wait times, delivering faster service after placing orders.

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