Israel: a fast food restaurant offers vegetable burgers made by robots

It is a surprising novelty. The Israeli fast food chain BBB has been offering a vegetable burger for a few days now, made and cooked by a robot that adapts the cooking and composition according to customer requirements, a first according to fast food. “This is the first time that a machine automatically makes a personalized hamburger,” said Tuesday, December 28 Racheli Vizman, CEO of SavorEat, the Israeli start-up specializing in the production of alternatives to meat behind the concept.

Everyone can choose the amount of vegetable protein or fat in their steak as well as its size or cooking via an app, she continues. The “robot chef”, the size of a large oven, can simultaneously make three different steaks. The device mixes several ingredients like beans, potatoes and chickpeas to form a texture “that resembles that of real meat,” says Ms. Vizman, who in 2018 founded her company with two professors from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A booming market

Everything is cooked in a few minutes, she assures, stressing that the product devoid of animal proteins is kosher, in accordance with the food code of Judaism. “The novelty,” according to BBB Group CEO Ahuva Turgeman, is that the customer selects the ingredients and the robot performs without anyone touching the steak, which is then manually put between two slices of bread.

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The curious can first try this culinary novelty in the restaurant in the town of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, for around 60 shekels (17 euros), fries and drink included. “We want to meet the cravings of vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians” who occasionally eat meat, continues Ahuva Turgeman.

About 5% of the Israeli population declare themselves to be vegan and the market for alternatives to meat is booming, according to SavorEat. Racheli Vizman says she wants to offer households capsules that produce food in the future, just like coffee machines.