We have just entered a new decade and it continues to show that technology is changing the way commercial kitchens work, improving food quality and restaurant performance. Every day, amazing technologies are developed, improved, and perfected to automate everyday meal prep kitchen processes.

In fact, with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), the environment that connects anything and everything to the World Wide Web, inanimate objects such as refrigerators, ovens, toasters, and grills can now communicate and share high levels of digital intelligence between the user and other inanimate objects without human intervention.

These inanimate objects or machines can free restaurant staff from the drudgery of everyday kitchen work which is often repetitive, time-consuming, and burdensome because they have a "mind of their own." In a business environment that is more competitive than ever, restaurants are under increasing pressure to provide more than just great food.

Food companies need to find ways to reduce costs without compromising food quality or customer experience. Because of this, many restaurant operators have embraced technology, automation, and even robotics to some extent, to gain a firm handle on daily kitchen operations, inventory, resource and energy management, speed and accuracy of service, quality and safety of food, wastage prevention and, equipment maintenance.

With various technological advancements available in the new decade, it may be helpful to know where restaurant operators should be investing in, in order to bring their commercial kitchens into the future.