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Fries shouldn't be a difficult problem to solve. Donut Machines have been doing something similar for a long time (production line deep frying) and I imagine th

by froo 14y ago

Fries shouldn't be a difficult problem to solve. Donut Machines have been doing something similar for a long time (production line deep frying) and I imagine that Fries wouldn't be very similar if you wanted a consistent output.

kposehn 14y ago
We designed a continuous liquid-bath cooking machine that can turn out fries, etc. in a relatively small space. Does pasta too! It was a fun experiment. The biggest problem was having demand that continues unabated; a machine like you're describing is used in industrial food production I believe.
- SoftwareMaven 14y ago
  The donut machines exist in every Krispy Kreme store, but I think you nailed it: the automation problem gets much harder when your food doesn't stay fresh more than 10 minutes. Going after the higher-end market will help these guys: people won't wait for McDonalds but they are more willing to wait for Five Guys or better.
  - forgotAgain 14y ago
    Why should people wait? If they're automated wouldn't they also take orders from mobile devices? If those devices provided GPS location and if local traffic sensors gave road conditions then the food would be ready just as the customer arrived.
    - SoftwareMaven 14y ago
      You've significantly upped the investment cost, which will make the burgers more expensive. Wouldn't it be better to have them be the same (more expensive) price, though a bit slower, and pocket the difference? To automate everything and have it hot and ready is a really hard challenge. Fries take about four minutes to cook. A burger between one and three. While you can compute an average car order, any given set of cars will order significantly different amounts of food. Get it wrong and you are forcing people to wait (what we are trying to get away from) or wasting food (bumping up costs). This optimization was the thing McDonalds spent the most time optimizing when I worked there years and years and years ago. On the other hand, I'd be happy with waiting if I could input my order and I knew my order would be correct.

by froo 14y ago

kposehn 14y ago

We designed a continuous liquid-bath cooking machine that can turn out fries, etc. in a relatively small space. Does pasta too! It was a fun experiment. The biggest problem was having demand that continues unabated; a machine like you're describing is used in industrial food production I believe.

SoftwareMaven 14y ago
The donut machines exist in every Krispy Kreme store, but I think you nailed it: the automation problem gets much harder when your food doesn't stay fresh more than 10 minutes. Going after the higher-end market will help these guys: people won't wait for McDonalds but they are more willing to wait for Five Guys or better.
- forgotAgain 14y ago
  Why should people wait? If they're automated wouldn't they also take orders from mobile devices? If those devices provided GPS location and if local traffic sensors gave road conditions then the food would be ready just as the customer arrived.
  - SoftwareMaven 14y ago
    You've significantly upped the investment cost, which will make the burgers more expensive. Wouldn't it be better to have them be the same (more expensive) price, though a bit slower, and pocket the difference? To automate everything and have it hot and ready is a really hard challenge. Fries take about four minutes to cook. A burger between one and three. While you can compute an average car order, any given set of cars will order significantly different amounts of food. Get it wrong and you are forcing people to wait (what we are trying to get away from) or wasting food (bumping up costs). This optimization was the thing McDonalds spent the most time optimizing when I worked there years and years and years ago. On the other hand, I'd be happy with waiting if I could input my order and I knew my order would be correct.