BFM: Where AI Fits in a Commercial Kitchen: Practical Uses That Earn Their Keep
AI earns a place in a commercial kitchen when it helps people work more consistently, gives them time back or reduces avoidable cost.
In a BFM 89.9 conversation, our co-founder Peter Kua and chef James Won discuss practical applications, from forecasting ingredients to preserving the thinking behind a menu without treating AI as a replacement for culinary judgment.
Listen to the BFM episode: https://www.bfm.my/content/podcast/when-ai-belongs-in-the-commercial-kitchen?id=7037585e-2093-46ea-9546-b4f2006c487f&type=podcast
START WITH THE REPETITIVE WORK AROUND SERVICE
Restaurants already collect useful signals in sales records, point-of-sale systems, digital orders and supplier invoices. When those records are usable, AI can help forecast demand, plan ingredient purchases and prepare staff schedules around expected customer volume. Better estimates can reduce manual planning and help teams avoid ordering or preparing far more than service requires.
Other practical candidates include checking supplier invoices against delivery records, moving daily sales into planning spreadsheets, and balancing staff rosters across multiple messages. The right first project is a process that happens often, follows a recognizable pattern and consumes time that the team would rather spend on service or improvement.
PRESERVE THE REASONING, NOT JUST THE RECIPE
A restaurant’s advantage often lives in the choices behind a dish: why one ingredient works, what can replace it when supply changes, how dietary needs affect a menu, and how a dish should be explained to guests. Recording only the final recipe may not help a new team member make good decisions when conditions change.
A carefully prepared knowledge assistant can make approved operating guidance easier to find and apply. It can surface relevant techniques, substitutions, pairing notes or service information, while the chef or owner remains responsible for approving recommendations and protecting the restaurant’s distinctive approach.
DIGITIZE THE WORKFLOW BEFORE ADDING AI
AI depends on usable information. Before choosing a tool, check whether core activity is captured in dependable digital records: sales, orders, purchasing, inventory and scheduling. If the information is scattered, incomplete or stored only in chat threads, start by making the process and its records more consistent.
This preparation also helps owners judge whether a proposed system fits how the restaurant actually works. A polished demonstration is not a substitute for reliable inputs, staff adoption and a clear owner for the process.
MAKE A SMALL BUSINESS CASE, THEN MEASURE IT
Choose one workflow and write down its current cost in time, waste, rework or service inconsistency. Agree on what improvement would matter to the business, run a limited pilot, and compare the result with the baseline. Track the outcome after launch; keep, adjust or stop the pilot based on evidence.
- Pick one frequent, manual process.
- Confirm that the required records are available and usable.
- Set a baseline and a practical success measure.
- Keep a person responsible for checking important AI recommendations.
- Review actual usage, results and operating cost before expanding.
The strongest starting point is usually modest: use technology to reduce repetitive administration and make good operational knowledge easier to use. That gives chefs and service teams more room to focus on judgment, hospitality and the experience guests came for.
Source: BFM 89.9 Enterprise Explores, “When AI Belongs in the Commercial Kitchen,” with Peter Kua and chef James Won. Original episode and image: https://www.bfm.my/content/podcast/when-ai-belongs-in-the-commercial-kitchen?id=7037585e-2093-46ea-9546-b4f2006c487f&type=podcast