NYC quick-serve operator The Filling Station deploys grilling robot
A regional New York City area hamburger restaurant company is automating the preparation of a range of menu items.
The Filling Station, which currently operates three metro New York-area stores in New York and New Jersey and plans to open three more in the near future, is utilizing the Aniai Alpha Grill automated grilling system.
Originally built for burger cooking, the solution now serves as a grill-station platform designed to cook food items such as burgers, chicken, steak, pork, salmon, eggs and pancakes in less than two minutes with consistent results.
Using precise temperature control, automated pressure, and built-in sensors that continuously adjust cooking in real time, the system is built to produce 200-plus food items per hour across proteins, cooking up to eight items simultaneously.
Alpha Grill also includes a robotic built-in spatula for automatic offloading, auto-cleaning between batches, and a touchscreen interface for pre-programmed recipes, and can operate in multiple modes.
"Operators in the U.S. continue to face significant operational challenges in their kitchens, and this is where we see the strongest demand for automation," said Gunpil Hwang, CEO of Aniai. "We are building technology that works in real kitchens, during real rush hours, and scales across multi-unit operations. That is where we are investing most of our time, talent, and resources."
Food service retailers embrace robots
Robotic technology has been more enthusiastically accepted by retailers in the food service vertical than in some other verticals, perhaps due to the need for high-volume, repetitive tasks performed with accuracy.
For example, hospitality services and concessions provider Aramark recently strategically invested in RoboEatz Autonomous Robotic Kitchen (ARK) technology, with ABB Robotics and WellSpan Health, in an effort to provide customizable meals at any time, for any shift and any dietary need in WellSpan Health facilities.
And in May 2025, Columbus, Ohio-based Donatos Pizza and its sister company, smart kitchen technology developer Agape Automation, partnered with robotic food tech provider Appetronix to open the pizza chain’s first robot-operated restaurant in its headquarters city.
Meanwhile, fast-casual restaurant giant Chipotle has co-developed and piloted an automated avocado processing prototype (known as "Autocado") and an AI-based automated digital makeline in labs and stores.
[READ MORE: Chipotle pilots in-store robots that help with kitchen prep work]
