In a city known for culinary innovation, New York restaurants are entering a new frontier where artificial intelligence and robotics are reshaping how we eat.
At Sweetgreen’s Wall Street location, salads materialize in under two minutes, assembled not by human hands but by the chain’s “Infinite Kitchen” – an automated system capable of serving 50 customers in less than 20 minutes. The robotic kitchen, introduced in December 2024, represents just one facet of the technological revolution transforming Manhattan’s dining landscape.
“A lot of people are multitasking mentally, so they might mess up something. Versus if they put their order in, it goes straight to the machine,” explains a Sweetgreen employee. While staff initially worried about job security, the company reports that positions shifted rather than disappeared.
Meanwhile, in a CloudKitchens facility, something even more ambitious is happening. Better Days, a health-focused restaurant launched by European company Remy Robotics, operates with no front-of-house staff at all. Human chefs prepare ingredients off-site at a Brooklyn commissary, but robots handle cooking and assembly.
“If you need to produce different types of food and multiple iterations, robotics is not quite there yet,” says Yegor Traiman, founder and CEO of Remy Robotics. “The level of robotics is still far away from the dexterity of what humans have.”
This division of labor – humans handling preparation tasks requiring dexterity, robots managing precision cooking – creates what Traiman calls a “co-bot model.” When customers order through delivery apps or the restaurant’s website, AI technology times preparation precisely, ensuring food is ready exactly when needed.
Beyond the kitchen, technology is altering how customers interact with restaurants. QR code menus, initially adopted during the pandemic for social distancing, have become standard in establishments across the city. Delivery apps have transformed neighborhood eateries into virtual destinations, accessible without leaving home.
Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram now function as digital showcases, allowing diners to virtually sample menus before setting foot in restaurants.
“I do not need to ask the server what specials there are or have them recommend specials,” notes Ryan Kenna, an executive at Hall PR, which represents numerous New York restaurants. “I do not get to have that fun, personable interaction with someone… Lots of customers seem to already know what they want, which has taken the sense of community and personality out of the restaurant.”
Yet some establishments are using technology to enhance rather than replace human connections. At Le Rivage in Manhattan, chef-owner Paul Denamiel has implemented AI for reservation management, allowing staff to focus on hospitality. “AI will undoubtedly revolutionize reservations taken both by POS and phone/email/website,” Denamiel says, adding that such systems “learn diners’ preferences and make tailored suggestions.”
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who oversees more than 50 restaurants worldwide including Four Twenty Five in New York City, uses artificial intelligence to refine menu engineering. “By inputting sales metrics and menu design into GPT, we can optimize both topline sales and overall profitability,” he explains, noting that simply repositioning high-profit items can significantly impact revenue.
For all the technological advancement, New York’s restaurant scene remains fundamentally about human experiences. Technology, when implemented thoughtfully, serves to enhance rather than replace the connections that make dining special.
“More chefs are pivoting towards immersive, story-driven meals,” Kenna observes. “Where did that dish originate? When were those ingredients originally discovered or implemented? Why did the chef pair these flavors? These narrative arcs transport guests to another place… I think NYC dining is heading more towards a place about intention rather than consumption, and that is what dining out should be all about.”
Whether embracing robots or AI-enhanced systems, New York restaurants continue evolving while preserving what matters most – creating memorable experiences for diners in a city where every block offers a different flavor of innovation.
