CHICAGO, March 19, 2025 — Breakthrough devices ranging from automated egg cookers to an AI-based grill monitor are among this year’s winners of a Kitchen Innovation Award, an honor recognizing the most innovative equipment to be displayed at the National Restaurant Association Show in May.

Twenty-four pieces of back-of-house technology were selected for the award by a nine-person panel that included operators, kitchen designers and other equipment authorities. 

The winning equipment will be displayed in the Kitchen Innovation Showroom, a section of the Show exhibit floor reserved for the latest in labor and timesaving back-of-house technology. 

“The 2025 Kitchen Innovations Awards spotlight solutions that embody the industry’s evolution: doing more with less,” said judge Richard Eisenbarth, President-Emeritus at the kitchen design firm Cini-Little International. “From AI-driven monitoring to productivity-enhancing robotics, these innovations are reshaping kitchens, helping restaurants adapt and excel in today’s dynamic culinary landscape.”

A number of the winning devices automate kitchen functions currently performed by staff members. Two devices cook eggs without human involvement, one producing the eggs sunny-side-up and the other scrambled.

AI is also a feature of several. One uses the technology to help employees manning a grill to keep accurate track of when each item was placed on the cooking surface and which are ready to be served. A visual overlay on a monitor shows the cooking status of all the products on the grill.

Here are the 2025 winners of a Kitchen Innovation Award:

Origin Convection Ovens from Alto-Shaam
The high-tech ovens enable high-volume production of meals cooked to precise times and temperatures without active supervision.

BuffetBoost Warming Block, American Metalcraft
The wireless device keeps chaffing dishes and other food containers hot without open flame. The batteries last for up to three hours, according to its manufacturer.

SimpliciTea 1500, Appliance Innovation
The automated device continually monitors whether enough tea is being brewed, sparing the operation from running out of iced tea during peak periods. 

Chillstream undercounter frozen food dispenser, Atosa
Unlike vertical dispensers, the Chillstream fits under a counter. It can dispense up to five types of frozen foods, either to the front or the side. 

OMM automated egg cooker, Bridge Appliances
Up to 36 eggs can be loaded into the countertop device, which then cooks the eggs sunny-side-up in 3 minutes with the push of a button.

CHrisper holding cabinet, Carter-Hoffmann
The sophisticated device promises to double the holding time for fried chicken and other foods that need to be kept crispy. 

RoboFry X4 from Charter House Innovations
The fry-station robot can be fitted to any fryer, and can handle two fry baskets simultaneously, according to the manufacturer.

Scraegg egg/oatmeal/soup cooker, CookUp Group
The steam-powered system enables scrambled eggs to be cooked in 15 seconds, with nothing more required from its operator than the push of a button, according to its supplier.

Dual Fuel Gravity Charcoal Oven, Doyon
The oven imparts a barbecue-like flavor despite getting only 60% of its heat from charcoal. The other 40% comes from electricity, enabling a kitchen to use 20% less charcoal, the supplier says.

Digital Kitchen Application Platform, Ecolab
Simplicity of use is a major differentiator of the kitchen tracking system, which can monitor such functions as labeling, adherence to recipes and the temperatures of held food, says Ecolab.

PFAs Reduction System from Everpure, Pentair Water Solutions
The filtration system increases the amount of PFAs, also known as “forever plastics,” that are removed from the water supplies of restaurants and other foodservice establishments, its manufacturer says.

Qeamer, Kitchenless
Using steam injection, the countertop device can prepare a high caliber meal without a chef or traditional kitchen equipment, asserts its supplier.

Fizzbot , Lab2Fab
The product of a Yum Brands technology lab, the automated drink dispenser can fill up to 450 drink orders per hour, or one every eight seconds, according to its manufacturer, The Middleby Corp. It can handle up to three cup sizes. 

Neo undercounter ice machine with filtration, Manitowoc
Even with an integrated water-filtration component, the ice maker fits under a counter, sparing a user the ordeal of lugging ice from a remote machine to a reach-in underbar ice bin. 

MilkPal milk foamer , Marco Beverage Systems
The machine alleviates the need for a crewmember of a coffee-selling operation to steam the milk by hand.

Metafoodx food-production monitor, MetaFoodx
A food scanner backed with AI analytical capabilities enables a kitchen to track production variables, from cooking temperatures to yield. The data is presented via a cloud-based dashboard.

LongWave infrared oven, Middleby Marshall
The oven features infrared emitters both above and below the item being warmed, ensuring the product is cooked evenly top and bottom.

Gravity beverage fountain system, Newton CFV
A wealth of information is captured by the system, enabling a restaurant to monitor drink-sales volume and take remedial action in a flash. 

Total oil management system, Powerhouse Dynamics
Information on oil use and adherence to best practices is automatically collected from fryers, whether in one restaurant or 100.

Grill Station Assistant, PreciTaste
No longer will a grill-station newbie have to make an educated guess as to how long an item has been cooking. Overlaid on a video reproduction of the grill and what’s on it shows when each product was put on the grill and which ones are ready to be served.

Smart Kitchen System Hub, Renau Corp.
The visual and digital tools of the system enable a kitchen manager to monitor the production process from a single station or hub. 

Service Unlimited Induction Table, Spring USA
Using induction-heating technology, the presentation table eliminates the need for hot wells and pans on a serving line or catering station. 

Dynamic Response Refrigeration with Smart Control, Traulsen
The system can cut the cost of running refrigeration equipment by 20—50% through real-time monitoring of conditions and an integration with compressors, which also affords more control. 

True Retail Merchandiser, True Manufacturing Co.
Because the medium and low-heat merchandising cabinets readily integrate with one another, setting up a customer-facing display can be done quickly.

The National Restaurant Association Show is scheduled for May 17-20 at McCormick Place in Chicago.


As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.

Cover image courtesy of National Restaurant Association