Local Robot Maker, Producer of Burger Cooking ‘Flippy,’ Expands into International Markets

Pasadena-headquartered Miso Robotics announced it has formed a partnership with food and beverage operator American Restaurants, a master franchisee with operations in the Middle East and North Africa.

The collaboration will begin with a piloted test of Flippy 2, Miso Robotics’ burger-flipping robot, at Americana Restaurants’ flagship Wimpy location in The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping destinations. The mall’s food court welcomes over 100 million visitors every year.

Miso Robotics said its newest model Flippy 2 has shown it can optimize operations in quick-service restaurants. Flippy 2 will be further integrated across other Americana Restaurants locations in the months ahead, according to a statement by Miso Robotics issued Thursday.

“We’ve announced partnerships with some of the largest brands in the U.S., and that momentum has led to us being pulled internationally to introduce our technology on a global scale,” Mike Bell, Miso Robotics CEO, said. “Americana Restaurants’ push to scale robotics in their operations is a testament to their superb operating capability in the Middle East and North Africa region. This is a true partnership that we see blossoming for many years to come and we wanted to make sure the market was right for future deployment at additional locations. The time is now to take Flippy global, and we have a great partner to do it with.”

With a network of quick- and full-service restaurants across twelve countries, Americana Restaurants recognizes the importance of integrating robotics into its operations to maximize speed of service and ensure consistent quality.

Wimpy has been a hamburger staple in the region since the 1970s, providing the American fast-food experience to families and customers there. The brand currently has 17 active stores across the Middle East and North Africa and plans to open up to 50 additional ones.

Melvin Michael, Brand Director of Wimpy, said Americana Restaurants’ partnership with Miso Robotics marks a significant milestone for the company.

“As the first QSR operator in the MENA region to introduce the use of robotics in its kitchens, Americana Restaurants continues to show its commitment to delivering unique dining experiences to customers at their favorite iconic brands,” Michael said.

Launched in 2021, Flippy 2 will provide Wimpy’s kitchen with a customizable robotic fry station that will reduce order-to-delivery time, increase food consistency and provide a better working environment for human team members.

Miso Robotics has nearly 20,000 shareholders and is considered one of the most successful crowdfund stories. The company has raised more than $50 million in crowdfunding to date and is currently in its Series E round, which kicked off with a market valuation of $500 million.