The new generation of the industry’s first-mover in fry station automation leverages Miso’s five years of proprietary data and learnings, along with design collaboration from Ecolab, NVIDIA, and many of the world’s leading QSR brands, at a time when labor scarcity and labor cost have created heavy restaurant disruption and store closures.
Los Angeles, CA – January 28, 2025 – Miso, the restaurant technology pioneer in fry station automation and AI-powered robotics for commercial kitchens, announced today the launch of its next-generation Flippy Fry Station robot. Powered by Miso’s Kitchen AI and more than 25 patents, the new generation of Flippy Fry Station automates the preparation of french fries, onion rings, chicken, tacos, and any other fried item with unmatched precision and consistency to deliver “day one” ROI to its customers with market-leading reliability.
Now backed by investment from industry powerhouses like cleaning solutions leader Ecolab (NYSE: ECL), collaborations with vision-AI leader NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), and new leadership led by CEO Rich Hull, Miso began piloting its newest Flippy at certain White Castle locations in late 2024. Compared to the prior version, the new Flippy is half the size, twice as fast, far more reliable, and installs in existing kitchens overnight in just a few hours (75% less time than previously). It was also designed in close collaboration with restaurant partners, including longtime collaborator White Castle, to create a next-generation product that caters to QSR operators’ every expectation.
“Being the first-mover in fry station automation has brought years of successes, surely a few failures, and mountains of proprietary data and learnings for Miso. Now all of those important experiences combine to make this game-changing new generation of Flippy the most reliable fry station automation product in the market,” said Hull. “At a time of massive labor disruption and restaurants’ inability to hire enough kitchen workers, the new Flippy creates immediate, provable customer ROI, while also unlocking much needed additional pools of labor under federal guidelines by reducing the danger to workers.”
Among all of the dangerous jobs in a commercial kitchen, the fry station towers above the rest. A 2024 survey conducted by Hart Research Associates on behalf of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health noted that almost 80% of fast food employees have sustained burns within the past year. Unlike with traditional frying stations, federal regulations allow employees under 18 years of age to operate Flippy Fry Station, unlocking a much-needed additional pool of available labor for QSR kitchens.
Dennis Lock, Miso’s Head of Sales, commented, “With no upfront costs and a rental price of $5,400 per month, the new generation of Flippy generally costs less than the equivalent full-time employees, so there is little downside for restaurant operators. Plus, Flippy can drive $5,000 to $20,000 of new prime cost reductions and revenue increases per month through labor redeployment to higher value tasks, faster speed of service, and reduced food waste.”
Rob Seely, AVP Operations Strategy & Design of WD Partners, a strategy, design, and execution consultancy for the restaurant industry, added, “We’ve spent a great deal of time over the past months to create real world case studies that quantify the substantial labor, speed of service, and food waste benefits that the new generation of Flippy Fry Station creates for a restaurant’s bottom line. In a market where labor shortages and labor costs can no longer be passed onto customers through menu price increases, Flippy and kitchen automation like it provide the restaurant industry’s best solution.”
Rollouts to additional White Castle locations, Jack in the Box, and several other large brands are scheduled for early 2025 in both corporate and franchisee locations.
Smarter, Faster, and More Efficient
Protected by over 25 patents, the next-generation Flippy Fry Station addresses key operational challenges for restaurants with new advanced features:
- Scalable Reliability: As Flippy evolves from its previous experimental “innovation product” to a now-scalable, industrial product, reliability is paramount for restaurant operators. The new Flippy boasts the most reliability of any fry station automation product on the market.
- Compact Design: The new model features a 50% reduction in size, making it adaptable to a wider range of existing kitchen layouts with minimal aisle space needed.
- Installs in Just Hours: Installation now occurs overnight (a 75% reduction) and eliminates the prior need for wall mounts, most kitchen modifications, and a slew of legacy permitting obligations.
- Enhanced Vision & Speed: Equipped with a smaller, faster robotic arm and a cutting-edge vision system developed in collaboration with industry leader NVIDIA (with Flippy being mentioned by NVIDIA during this month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas), the new Flippy can process more than 100 baskets per hour—almost twice as many as humans.
- Better Team Experience: Flippy Fry Station’s upgraded user interface—featuring LED lights, intuitive modes, and a grease-resistant display—has simplified onboarding, and made daily operations easier and more enjoyable for employees. The automation improves retention and can also make hiring of tech-savvy Gen Z workers easier.
- Others: The base package includes 24/7 support in English and Spanish through a modernized support infrastructure, warranty, preventive maintenance, and a basic data package. Optional add-ons include POS integration and enhanced data.
Ecolab Partnership: Now Easier to Clean + New Sales Channel
Flippy’s advancements are also bolstered by Miso’s strategic and investment partnerships with Ecolab, a global leader in food safety and hygiene solutions. Ecolab’s expertise has helped to enhance Flippy’s cleaning speed and procedures, and food safety capabilities. In addition to Miso’s in-house sales team, Ecolab now also offers its customers Flippy rentals through a dedicated sales team supported by Ecolab’s 6,000 sales professionals.
To contact Miso and learn more about Flippy Fry Station, visit MisoRobotics.com/Contact.
About Miso
Miso is a pioneer in kitchen automation and AI-driven robotics in the restaurant and foodservice industries. Its flagship product, Flippy Fry Station, automates the frying process with unmatched precision and consistency. Powered by Miso’s proprietary Kitchen AI, Miso’s technology is reshaping kitchen operations, addressing labor challenges, and enabling more efficient food preparation in partnership with leading brands and innovators. Learn more at MisoRobotics.com.
Press & Media resources can be found at MisoRobotics.com/Press
