Today, Dishcraft is unveiling the first automated dishroom to
transform commercial kitchens. The Dishcraft solution makes dishrooms
reliable, safe, and sustainable by using robotics, process innovation,
and machine learning to sort, scrub, inspect, and rack dishes.
Dishwashing is the hardest job to fill in commercial kitchens, with the
average dishwasher’s tenure spanning just over a month.
Unfilled jobs result in low morale in the kitchen, as everyone from the
executive chef to the server is required to clean dishes, which impacts
food service.
“After learning about the problem created by a high dishwasher turnover
rate, I worked in commercial dishrooms to experience their environment,
culture, and operations firsthand. I saw an opportunity to solve the
issues at hand through the use of robotic technology,” said Linda
Pouliot, CEO and co-founder of Dishcraft. “The high employee churn is an
indicator that these jobs are unpleasant and not desirable. By
automating the dishroom, we are able to clean dishes shift over shift
while transforming the role of the dishwasher into one that is simpler,
easier, and has more growth opportunity.”
The Dishcraft solution cleans each dish individually using grey water
and energy-efficient cleaning mechanisms, resulting in more sustainable
operations. Each dish is inspected in a fraction of a second for
remaining food residue using computer vision and machine learning to
achieve a consistent level of quality unmatched in dishrooms today. The
work environment created by the Dishcraft solution leads to fewer slips,
better ergonomics, and no use of additional chemicals.
“One of my first jobs was as a dishwasher so I’ve seen first-hand how
outdated and inefficient dishrooms are today and how important they are
to the overall operations in a kitchen,” said Steve Anderson, founder of
Baseline Ventures. “Dishcraft is bringing entirely new thinking,
technology, and processes to tackle this problem, and it is long
overdue.”
Dishcraft is led by co-founders Linda Pouliot and Paul Birkmeyer. Prior
to Dishcraft, Pouliot co-founded Neato Robotics, where she helped build
the company to become the world’s second-largest consumer robotic vacuum
company. Birkmeyer, the company’s CTO, was previously co-founder of Dash
Robotics, which focused on making low-cost, build-it-yourself,
bio-inspired robots promoting STEM engagement for kids. He holds a PhD
in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of
California, Berkeley and has led projects ranging from wearable robotics
to humanoid robots to autonomous motorcycle-racing robots.
The company has raised $25 million from leading venture capital firms
including Baseline Ventures, First Round Capital, and Lemnos.
“We are really excited about Dishcraft and the team behind the company,”
said Rob Hayes, Partner at First Round Capital and Dishcraft board
member. “Building a hardware company from the ground up is a unique
challenge, and Linda and Paul bring an incredible amount of expertise
and experience in both robotics and business that will take Dishcraft
far.”
To learn more, visit www.dishcraft.com.
About Dishcraft
Dishcraft Robotics, Inc. is the first automated dishroom that makes
kitchens reliable, safe, and sustainable through robotics and process
innovation. Founded in 2015, Dishcraft serves forward-thinking companies
with commercial kitchens, creating new jobs in the kitchen. The company
has raised over $25 million from investors including Baseline Ventures,
First Round Capital, and Lemnos. Dishcraft is headquartered in San
Carlos, CA. For more information, visit www.dishcraft.com.
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