Shenzhen-based start-up Botinkit is redefining restaurant kitchens with its cooking robots powered by artificial intelligence (AI). 

Founded in 2021 by Shirley Chen Rui, the company offers innovative solutions that help restaurants reduce costs, minimize food waste, and ensure consistent food quality.


Chinese Start-Up Botinkit Revolutionizes Kitchens with Robots and AI

Omni: The Kitchen Robot for Efficiency and Quality

Botinkit’s flagship product, Omni, automates key cooking processes such as stir-frying, stewing, seasoning, and cleaning. 

Designed for simplicity, the robot features a touch-screen interface that allows users without culinary expertise to prepare dishes. Operators select recipes and follow on-screen instructions, enabling them to manage multiple robots simultaneously.

Omni uses AI to regulate temperature and seasoning, ensuring precise results. Chen plans to expand its capabilities by developing AI-generated recipes tailored to customer preferences.


Cutting Costs and Reducing Waste

Using Omni, restaurants can cut labor costs by 30% and reduce food and seasoning waste by 10%. The robot's efficiency makes it an ideal solution for global franchises, helping maintain consistency across multiple locations.


Focus on Human-Machine Collaboration

Chen emphasizes that Botinkit aims to enhance, not replace, human input in cooking. "Cooking requires a human touch," she says. The company’s approach combines automation with creativity, leaving tasks like recipe creation and final presentation to humans.


Global Expansion Plans

Botinkit raised $21 million in a Series A+ funding round led by CCV Capital in October 2024. The company operates in 19 countries, with Asia as its largest market. It recently entered Europe and the US, markets that face severe labor shortages in the restaurant industry.

Chen sees automation as a solution to these challenges, predicting that digital kitchens will dominate the industry within a decade. She envisions robots handling operations while humans focus on creativity.


Botinkit is redefining restaurant kitchens

Support from Industry Leaders

Early investors in Botinkit include Li Zexiang, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and an angel investor in DJI, a Shenzhen-based drone giant. This backing highlights the growing interest in AI-powered solutions for the food industry.


The Rise of Automation in Kitchens

The food industry is increasingly adopting automation. Robots now deliver meals and cook dishes in kitchens worldwide. In Beijing, start-up EncoSmart received the city’s first food-service license for humanoids, showcasing the growing role of robotics in catering.

Globally, Botinkit faces competition from companies like US-based Miso Robotics, which uses robotic arms for tasks such as flipping burgers and frying chips.


A Future of Digital Kitchens

Botinkit is driving the shift toward fully digitized kitchens. With its innovative solutions, the start-up is poised to transform how restaurants operate, making kitchens smarter, more efficient, and globally scalable.

Shirley Chen’s vision for AI and robotics in the food industry signals a new era of culinary innovation. From reducing labor costs to maintaining food quality, Botinkit’s technology offers a glimpse into the future of dining.

Sources: https://www.botinkit.ai, https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3288706/chinese-start-touts-robot-chefs-ai-future-restaurant-kitchens