ENAI Launches Hamburger Robot at Incheon Airport

Incheon International Airport Opens the Door to the Future Kitchen: The 'Alpha Grill' hamburger patty cooking robot is now fully operational at Terminal 2, offering travelers an innovative culinary experience. A collaboration between robot kitchen startup Aniai and CJ Freshway, this robot, installed at the 'Burger Station' store on the 4th floor of Gourmet Bridge within the terminal, is drawing attention as an important case demonstrating how stably and efficiently a cooking automation solution can operate in the unique environment of an airport, where tens of thousands of people pass through daily. Restaurants within airports tend to experience a surge in orders during specific times, making the provision of fast service with consistent quality crucial. As it was difficult to effectively handle such demand with existing human resources alone, 'Alpha Grill' emerged as the solution to this challenge. This smart robot automates the entire process of press-grilling patties and precisely moving cooked patties. As a result, the average cooking time is reduced to around 1 minute, and it can cook over 200 patties per hour, allowing for quick and seamless response to long queues during peak hours. Moreover, its delicate temperature control system ensures perfectly cooked, consistent quality patties every time, enhancing customer satisfaction. In particular, 'Alpha Grill' was designed to a high standard to meet the strict hygiene and safety standards of airports, which are multi-use facilities. It has secured reliability by acquiring US food sanitation standards (NSF/ANSI) and electrical safety (UL) certifications, and its food-contacting components have passed hazardous substance safety inspections. The cooking components are designed to be easily disassembled and cleaned, making hygiene management extremely convenient. Aniai CEO Hwang Geon-pil emphasizes that this airport installation has proven the successful operational potential of cooking automation solutions in public facilities and high-density store environments. Moving forward, this innovative cooking robot plans to expand its supply to more foodservice establishments, including sports stadiums, theme parks, and food and beverage spaces within university campuses. This will be a significant step, going beyond just grilling hamburger patties, to present a new paradigm for the future of the foodservice industry.