Flippy will integrate with Zippy, but the two can also be used separately. | Photo courtesy of Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics, the maker of Flippy the automated fry cook, has acquired AI-powered restaurant operations platform Zignyl.
Memphis-based Zignyl offers a number of software tools for operators, including forecasting, scheduling and checklists as well as performance-based incentives for employees, all within a single app.
Miso has rolled Zignyl into a new product it’s calling Zippy, a data dashboard that operators can talk to like a chatbot.
It marks an evolution for LA-based Miso from a primarily robotics company into a more vertically integrated technology supplier. It’s aiming to help fast-food restaurants streamline their operations by offering a “one-stop shop” for tech.
“The reason I came here was not just to build the Flippy business,” said Miso CEO Rich Hull, who joined the company in 2023 after years in the streaming TV industry. “It was to own all of the digital infrastructure in a modern restaurant, which the industry needs in a bad way.”
Many restaurant tech stacks today are fragmented and archaic, he said; Miso wants to offer them a more modern and integrated platform.
While Flippy is geared toward easing operations and labor costs, Zippy is an app that operators can use to oversee their whole business. They’ll be able to pull out their phone and ask things like which of their restaurants is performing best and why, either by typing questions or asking them aloud, “much like your ChatGPT experience,” Hull said.
Miso is marketing Zippy and Flippy as distinct products. But restaurants that use Flippy will be able to monitor the robot within their Zippy dashboard, including real-time ROI, a live video feed and maintenance data.
And there are cross-selling opportunities: Users of Flippy may be interested in adding Zippy and vice-versa, Hull said.
Today, Zignyl and Zippy combined are used by more than a dozen brands, including Jersey Mike’s, Auntie Anne’s, Jamba, Which Wich and Carvel.
Miso is not disclosing how many restaurants are using Flippy, but after about a dozen installations over the past year, the bot is now operating in seven states and recently surpassed 5 million baskets fried.
Zygnyl’s entire team is joining Miso as part of the deal, and founder and CEO Matt Forbush will become the head of Zippy.
Forbush is a longtime franchisee of Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba and Häggen Dazs. He created Zygnyl in 2018 as a way to keep tabs on his many restaurants while also keeping employees engaged. The app allows operators to set goals and give workers a pay boost when achieved.
“Having laid incredible groundwork with our leading-edge AI development for the past several years, we’re excited to now bring that value to Zippy and Miso,” Forbush said in a statement.
Miso was founded in 2016 and last year launched the latest version of Flippy, an AI-powered robotic arm that can prepare a variety of fried food items. Miso is backed by cleaning products supplier Ecolab as well as more than 40,000 crowdfunding investors.
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