Automation in Bengaluru's kitchens: Hotels seek solutions to South Indian cook shortage

Time of India

22-06-2025

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BENGALURU: As demand for South Indian cuisine surges and hotels face a cook shortage, many are seeking new ways to integrate advanced technology into their kitchens. While automation in the hotel industry is not a new concept, it is now entering a new phase, with a focus on further automating tasks traditionally done by human hands.
"Particularly South Indian cooks are hard to find," says PC Rao, Honorary President, Bangalore Hotels Association (BHA). "We have machines for vada-making, pongal preparation, and more, but there's still a need for someone to measure the ingredients and feed them into the machines. It is not 100% mechanised yet." He was talking to TOI on the sidelines of the launch of Media Day Marketing trade expo where equipment industries will meet the hospitality sector.
Echoing his sentiments, President of Bangalore Hotels Association, Subrahmanya Holla said, "It's interesting how things will unfold, and we're also waiting to see." Holla, whose own hotel still favours a hands-on approach, acknowledges that machines can be a good solution for bulk production, such as in catering. "Vada making makes sense in high-volume business. Pongal machines are already in use. But you can't fully mechanise everything.
Some things still require ahuman touch, like pouring ghee and sugar, in a Mysore Pak production line," Holla shares.
K Rama Murthy, owner of Konark Hotel on Residency Road, who was in the industry for over 40 years, addresses the challenges in complete automation of South Indian food. "South Indian food is passed down generationally. It is not something we can easily put in a syllabus for students. Hence, while the automation of beverage preparation, like cocktail mixing, is already common, the same is harder to achieve with food.
For Indian food, especially South Indian items, it is made to order."
He finds the fresh food production segment at a crossroads. New manpower laws have made hiring and retaining fresh-food staff more challenging, shrinking the pool of cooks willing to learn complex, made-to-order South Indian recipes. Advanced solutions like freeze-drying plants or vacuum-packed ready-cook systems are emerging to retain higher nutrition levels, but are expensive, he added.
At his hotel, he uses automation. Murthy elaborates on the same: Three-star hotels in the city have adopted this technology—a combi-oven, which can cook with steam and dry heat—giving you rice, steam veg, pulao, any rice item—bisibele bath and pongal. You can roast masalas in the machine in a systematic way. There are limitations—shallow frying and traditional methods, like masala dosa preparation, or making sambar.
For Uddina vadas, there is a separate machine—the dough gets dropped like doughnuts. "We also have an in-house South Indian filter dispensing machine, and are looking for idli dropping and cooking systems," he said, being the go-to person on automation in the sector.
Hospitality students are also training on the growing role of AI in the sector, including streamlining kitchen operations. Sanchari Chowdhury, Director at IIHM Bangalore, said, "Although human touch is still very much needed in hospitality, AI helps in menu planning, stock taking, and ingredient percentages, making the process faster. Even experiences are curated using tech—a Japanese restaurant in the city has automated the process of learning its guest's food and seating preference.
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"We are in a city that has accepted automation well," she adds. "Key cards in hotels are replaced by mobile check-ins. Roles in hospitality are changing—but the warm body is very needed in hospitality even today."