GTGO gets ready for robot kitchens

AI quality checks lay the groundwork for future automation.

GTGO is building artificial intelligence (AI) systems that it expects would eventually support humanoid robots in its kitchens, founder and global CEO Jay Lim said.

“The game changer would be when the humanoids—the physical artificial intelligence (AI)—really enter our industry and start to help or replace humans in the kitchens,” he told QSR Media Asia.

Lim said GTGO, the multinational pizza chain formerly known as GOPIZZA, is working with one of South Korea's biggest food technology companies to develop humanoid robots, with the first deployment targeted within two to three years.

For now, the company is focusing on Go Vision, an AI-based quality-control system that checks every product leaving its stores for temperature, appearance, and burn marks.

Lim said the system serves a second purpose beyond quality control by collecting the data future robots would need to prepare food.

“Go Vision is not only for quality control but also a preparation for the future where humanoids will come in,” he said via Zoom. “They need data to do that, so we're collecting data in advance.”

GTGO also redesigned its AI infrastructure to reduce operating costs.

Lim said relying on cloud-based AI services cost $50 to $200 per store each month, prompting the company to process data inside its stores using edge computing instead.

“Our target is going below $50... and we track and record every single product that we ship out from the store worldwide at under $50 per store,” he said.

Beyond its restaurants, GTGO is also using AI to improve internal operations.

Lim said an internally developed training platform for its India business, which trains about 50 employees each month, has helped reduce the headquarters' operating expenses by 30% to 40%, helping the company return to profitability.