Robot chefs are cooking food at 101 Chicken, a Korean restaurant in Fort Lee, New Jersey
FORT LEE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Robots... making chicken?
It's not an illusion or a joke - a robot arm is the head chef at new Korean fried chicken location in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
"It's amazing. I feel like this is definitely going to revolutionize the whole fast food industry," said customer Paul Tye.
Paul Choi is the owner of 101 Chicken, and the man who helped to innovate this technology to make sure his chicken is always delicious.
"We set the testing in Korea for two years, then after two years we decided it was the right time," Choi said.
Choi is a foodie with a computer science background. He owned a restaurant in Long Island City. It closed during the pandemic. That gave him time to go to Korea and work with some tech people to perfect the frying robot.
"I found a small company, they do have a robo system and they tried to put it in the kitchen," Choi said.
He knew exactly how to make it happen. Humans are still needed to make the batter and flour the chicken, but that's when robo pal takes over, making sure the chicken cooks the perfect time, and the flavor is always consistent.
"See, it's called Robo Pal. 'Pal' means 'arm' in Korean," Choi said.
The robot reviews are rolling in and could shake up the restaurant world.
"They got it right," Tye said.
"It's pretty good, especially the soy honey chicken is pretty good," customer Bin Shin said.
The robot shakes the chicken to make sure the pieces don't stick to each other. For onlookers, it's fascinating to watch the robot arm from the outside, gazing at its precision and smooth moves.
The $50,000 chef never stops and limits mistakes, saving time and money.
"We're trying to integrate with AI technology. We are moving forward to that," Choi said.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
