From left: Jack Fielder, Sydney Perkins, Sophia de la Torre, Alex Littke. |Photo credit: Joe Guszkowski
The next generation of restaurateurs aren’t afraid of artificial intelligence. In fact, they are already using it.
However, do not place it near food.
A group of four current and recently graduated culinary arts students from Northern Arizona University made their first visit to the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago on Saturday, where they couldn’t miss the buzz about AI, both good and bad.
After attending a presentation by Chef Rick Bayless, students sat down with Restaurant Business Inc. to discuss how they think AI will impact restaurants as they prepare for careers in the industry.
Several of the students currently work in small, independently owned restaurants in Flagstaff. These companies haven’t really taken advantage of AI yet, and are actually a little skeptical about it.
Jack Fielder, who wants to get into the specialty coffee business, says, “Many people worry about, “Is the information accurate? Is it true?” “‘The system we have in place has been working for a long time, so why are we trying to change it so quickly before we can prove it?'”
But even the hesitation of their bosses did not stop the young chefs from using it.
Instead of taking inventory manually, Fielder took photos of storage areas, had AI count the supplies, and uploaded the results to an Excel spreadsheet. He said there were some mistakes, but it was still faster than if he had done it himself.
And Sydney Perkins, a recent kitchen manager and private chef business owner, used ChatGPT to scale up recipes and create a cleaning plan for the kitchens she shares at three different restaurants.
“It saves you time and gives you more time to actually cook and be creative, which is the real reason we’re in this industry,” Perkins said.
Students pointed to other jobs that could be useful for AI, such as creating employee schedules and analyzing detailed data such as “How many burgers did this person sell to tables of five or more people in the last 30 minutes?”
“That’s what AI is about: data, data, data,” said Alex Littke, a recent graduate who plans to work as a chef de tournamentin in Idaho.
They may also consider having their phones answered, a service offered by countless vendors at this year’s show.
Sofia de la Torre, who is attending confectionery school and plans to open a bakery, said she is open to using an AI telephone answering system in her company. This could save on labor costs and provide customers with a more consistent experience when calling, she said.
“if [an employee] “If you’re having a bad day and you answer the phone, that tone can completely take the customer away,” she said, but also noted that the opposite can happen. Where a friendly, human employee on the other end of the phone might help drive business, “AI could take that away from the customer.”
Indeed, students acknowledged that AI autonomy can be a double-edged sword. For example, Fielder said there can be value in doing boring tasks the old-fashioned way.
“AI takes away in some ways the need for other people to watch you do that long, hard work. [and thinking]”They’re really working hard to make sure this restaurant is effective,” he said.
Things like schedule management can be a headache, but they are problems that can be managed by AI. However, sometimes situations are best handled by someone who has their finger on the pulse of your staff.
“I hear them all [conversations]”I know who’s partying tonight,” Perkins said. You know who’s leaving town. I know who hates late shifts and who hates early shifts. I’m with them every day. …So the AI couldn’t do that part. ”
And one area that all four students agreed was contraindicated for AI: recipe development.
It can also be used for research and cooking tips. But they say the industry’s ingenuity could take a hit if AI starts creating menus.
“If everyone was using the same generator and creating the same ideas, every restaurant would be the same,” Litke said.
These aspiring chefs aren’t thinking about serving AI slop. After all, it was their love of food and cooking that got them into this business in the first place.
“That’s the fun part of this job,” De La Torre said. “Why give it up?”
But overall, students said they would like to see restaurants embrace the technology a little more. This saves you time and allows you to focus on other things that AI can’t do, like cooking, talking to customers, and coming up with the next great dish.
“AI will never be able to completely take over our industry because AI will never be able to create real human connections,” Perkins said. “True human creativity and authenticity can never be produced.”
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