Blog#24: Smarter Kitchens, Human Hands: What American Kitchens Can Learn from Japanese Practical Automation

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In a recent blog post, we asked whether modern food production should be manual or automatic. The conclusion was not that one side is always better. The real challenge is finding the right balance between efficiency, safety, consistency, and human skills. 

After working as the only American at Hattori Kogyo—a legacy company in Japan, I think this question looks different depending on which market you are standing in. 

Hattori’s approach to equipment is rooted in practicality. The goal is not to become more robotic and digitized. The goal is to make cooking safer, the food more consistent, and the process more efficient while preserving the cook’s autonomy. This fits Hattori’s strength: Japanese manufacturing quality, durable equipment, and careful engineering. 

The U.S. foodservice market is at a pivotal point. Three years removed from the disruptions from the global pandemic, and American operators are facing pressure from labor shortages, rising wages, a shift in demand (i.e., delivery only models), and quick-service restaurant growth. As a result, many companies are exploring automation: touchscreen ordering kiosks, AI voice systems, robotic grills, automated fryers, and smart kitchen platforms. These technologies can reduce repetitive work and improve speed, but in many ways, they raise more questions than answers. Automation is expensive, difficult to maintain, and harder for smaller restaurants to adopt. It can also remove some of the human adjustments that give food its character. 

Hattori Kogyo presents a practical middle ground. 

American kitchens don’t need technology that replaces cooks. They need technology that helps cooks do more, safely and consistently, without losing control of the food. That is especially true in cafeterias, hotels, hospitals, universities, mess halls, and other kitchens that prepare food at scale. 

During my internship, I prepared Louisiana-style gumbo using Hattori’s HTK-140 gas-powered tilting kettle with a mixing arm attachment, along with rice prepared in an IH-150 multicooker. Gumbo is not only not a Japanese dish, but also a uniquely American one that demands attention for the cooking of the roux. That is exactly why I selected it, and why the demonstration was useful. It showed that Hattori equipment is not limited to Japanese cuisine. A tilting kettle can support American foods such as gumbo, chili, soups, stews, sauces, grits, oatmeal, mac and cheese, beans, and other large-batch dishes. 

The machine helped with volume, mixing, consistency, and safety. But it did not decide the flavor. It did not replace the cook’s judgment. The cook still controlled the seasoning, texture, timing, and final result, all the way down to garnish and seasoning to taste. 

That balance may be Hattori’s strongest implication for the U.S. market. American kitchens need efficiency, but not every solution needs to involve a robot or become a nuisance, known as 邪魔 (jama). Sometimes the best technology is equipment that quietly improves the work for the workers: less physical burden, safer operation, more consistent output, and easier workflow. 

Japan and the U.S. can learn from each other in this regard. The U.S. praises urgency, scale, and openness to new foodservice models. Japan endorses patience, precision, and respect for craftsmanship. Hattori’s opportunity is to combine both: practical Japanese engineering that helps American kitchens cook at scale without taking people out of the process. 

At Hattori, we believe technology should assist people in their craftsmanship and journey toward better taste, not remove them from it. This is part of our company philosophy: to connect people through food, just as food connects us all. 

—Zachary Gilbert, International Department