School Kids Want Robots

"The kitchen would have robots to cook, so that it could be made really fast."

That was one comment by a grammar school-aged child as part of a survey conducted on school children to find out what their "dream kitchen cafeteria" would be like.  I think you’ll like these other remarks too.

"Robots would run the kitchen. There would be mixers and ovens and stoves and microwaves, etc."

“Automatic serving machines would serve perfect portions. After being a regular customer in this ‘dream kitchen’, the technology would recognize your favorites and least favorite foods. You wouldn’t have to stand in line and it would always be moving because there would be no traffic."

"There would be an ice-cream machine, and you would push a button for what flavor you wanted and you would get it freshly made….There would also be a robot that tended to your every need, and he would give you all your orders on time! Plus, there would be wireless internet."

"It would also be cool if we had a computer where you could order and a robot brought you your food."

"There would be a juicer with a touchscreen and a pasta maker that would make noodles and cook them. There would be a touchscreen so you could choose what you wanted for lunch."

"A machine that you can tell what you want to eat and it will automatically give the food to you. This machine has a built in dishwasher, oven, and garbage can."

Sure, we all think these are funny, maybe even hilarious. But jokes aside, the survey (conducted through the virtual world website whyville.com by Y-Pulse LLC, a research and consulting firm for the foodservice industry with offices in Chicago and Alexandria) truly shows what the next generation of restaurant and foodservice consumers are going to prefer.

“This is a generation that wants to be able to pick what they want and expect to do it with automatic equipment,” Tami Cline, co-founder of Y-Pulse said in a news release.  “And while some of the ideas are more entertaining than realistic at this point, the answers give you a glimpse into the minds of tomorrow’s consumers, who will not only order from foodservice operators but some of whom will end up managing such operations.”

That’s a good point.  In fact, we’re already experiencing a wave of younger generation members reaching prime restaurant-user age: the Millennials.  In “Understanding the Millennials,” some of the key dining and food preferences that characterize this group are very similar to the school-aged children from the survey.  Both groups, from these two information sources alone, seem to prefer faster service, convenience, wireless connectivity, and “smart” kitchens that will know and act upon their food preferences.

What else do you notice about these younger generations? What can foodservice professionals do to work with this group successfully? Let’s talk about it in the talkback feature below, or log on to LinkedIn and visit the FE&S group page to start a discussion.