Robot chefs cook up storm at expressway rest area in Korea

A robot chef prepares dishes at Munmak rest area on the Yeongdong Expressway, Wednesday. Courtesy of Korea Expressway Corp.

The Munmak rest area on the Yeongdong Expressway has become the first in the country to introduce a robotic kitchen in the food court, replacing human chefs with robots, the Korea Expressway Corp. said, Wednesday.

The initiative aims to address a labor shortage in rest areas and standardize the quality and taste of dishes served.

Three robot chefs operate 24/7 in the Korean food, ramyeon and udon sections.

They can cook 13 different dishes, including galbitang or Korean short rib soup, seafood ramyeon and kimchi udon noodle soup, and prepare up to 14 servings simultaneously.

The robot that cooks Korean food prepares traditional stew pots filled with chopped ingredients, boils them on a smart stove according to pre-programmed recipes and sends them to the pick-up area on a rail.

The ramyeon robot stirs the dishes while cooking with its robotic arms to prevent the toppings, such as eggs and rice cake, from clumping up. Once the cooking is complete, it serves them in a bowl.

The robot in charge of making udon boils noodles in its automatic hot pots. Then it drains the cooked noodles and dunks them in a bowl, adding warm broth and toppings and garnish on top.

As part of an opening promotion, the first visitor to the food court was offered coupons for 50 free meals at the rest area. Also, all meals cooked by robot chefs here will be sold at a 30-percent discount for a month.

Korea Expressway Corp. plans to introduce robotic kitchens in other rest areas across the country.

“Robot chefs will become a new driving force for the modernization of (expressway) rest areas and food culture,” Korea Expressway Corp. President Ham Jin-gyu said.

“Thanks to the introduction of robot chefs, visitors will be able to conveniently enjoy food in the rest area around the clock. We expect the robot chefs to bring great satisfaction to the rest area operators, kitchen staff and visitors.”