Sinolink Securities Co., Ltd. has released a research report indicating that the commercial adoption of cooking robots is set to effectively alleviate labor shortages in the restaurant industry, optimize kitchen staffing structures, and empower food service businesses to cut costs and boost efficiency.

The integration of cooking robots with other smart kitchen equipment creates a comprehensive data loop across the entire chain, enabling connectivity between order management, kitchen operations, and overall business management. This shift is driving the food service industry from experience-based decision-making toward data-driven operations.

In the long term, this trend will compel coordinated upgrades across the industry chain, prompting upstream suppliers to expand production of standardized ingredients. On the consumer side, the market targets four key demographics: young singles living alone, working families, middle-aged and elderly health-conscious consumers, and small-apartment renters. Growth is steadily supported by the convenience economy, health-oriented consumption habits, and rising smart home penetration.

Key perspectives from Sinolink Securities highlight that technological advancements combined with the implementation of national standards are propelling the industry into a phase of scaled growth. A cooking robot is a fully automated cooking device that integrates multi-dimensional temperature sensing, AI-based cooking algorithms, closed-loop automatic temperature control, and bionic mechanical stirring. It can independently complete the entire standardized process of ingredient dispensing, heat adjustment, precise seasoning, stirring, and dish output.

In October 2025, the national standard GB/T 46718-2025 for commercial intelligent cooking machines was released, filling a void in industry standards. After a technology validation period from 2018 to 2020 and a commercial pilot phase from 2021 to 2023, large-scale commercial deployment in chain restaurants has been underway since 2024. Notably, all of Bawan's 1,000-plus stores nationwide use self-developed cooking robots, and Xiaocaiyuan plans to invest 100 million yuan to procure 2,000 units. Both Xianglu Technology and Buting Technology have each secured over 500 million yuan in financing since 2024, creating a virtuous cycle between commercial adoption and capital investment.

According to data from NCBD, the cooking robot market size reached 3.81 billion yuan in 2025, with year-on-year growth exceeding 20%. Projections indicate the market will surpass 10 billion yuan by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of approximately 28.5% from 2026 to 2030.

On the B2B front, cost reduction and efficiency gains serve as fundamental demand drivers, constituting the core market growth engine. Primary application scenarios include chain restaurants, group catering, prepared food support, and special institutions. NCBD estimates that commercial cooking robots accounted for 94.6% of industry revenue in 2025, making them the absolute mainstay of market demand.

On the demand side, the national chef shortage stands at 3 million positions, creating an urgent need to fill labor gaps. Labor costs already account for 28.6% of operating expenses, while the average net profit margin in the food service industry is merely 0.3%, highlighting significant demand for cost reduction and efficiency improvement. According to research from Hongcan Industry Research Institute, cooking robot penetration in group catering and fast food segments is expected to reach 50% by 2028. Stores equipped with cooking robots can boost both labor efficiency and meal output by 2-3 times, with a payback period of approximately 8.4 months for three units per store.

On the consumer side, the convenience economy and healthy eating trends are driving demand, with significant room for expansion at lower price points. The household market remains in its exploratory phase, with NCBD estimating that home-use cooking robots accounted for only 5.4% of sales revenue in 2025. The continued expansion of the four target demographics could generate additional consumer-side growth. Consumer price sensitivity is high in this segment; according to Aowei Cloud data, the 1,000-2,000 yuan price bracket accounts for nearly 30% of sales, with thousand-yuan-level lightweight entry models being the mainstream choice.

The competitive landscape is becoming increasingly differentiated, with various types of companies pursuing distinct strategies. Vertically specialized cooking robot companies such as Xianglu Technology, Buting Technology, Youth Kitchen, and Bawan dominate the B2B commercial segment. Smart equipment cross-sector entrants including Yunji Technology, Topband Co., Ltd., and Semikron leverage their expertise in motion control, cluster scheduling, and electromagnetic cooking technology to target hotels and group catering scenarios. Traditional home appliance giants like Supor, Joyoung Co., Ltd., and Tianke capitalize on mature supply chains and distribution networks to focus on the C-end household market.

In 2025, leading industry players have achieved significantly higher shipment volumes. As customer bases and distribution channels continue to solidify, the Matthew effect is expected to intensify, with clearly differentiated competitive dynamics across each camp of companies.

Cooking robots are fundamentally reshaping kitchen operations, enabling standardization and digital transformation in the food service industry. Their commercial deployment effectively addresses labor pain points, optimizes kitchen staffing structures, and empowers restaurants to reduce costs while improving efficiency. This also accelerates digital upgrades across the sector.

The synergy between cooking robots and other smart kitchen equipment establishes a closed-loop data ecosystem spanning the entire value chain, connecting orders, kitchen operations, and management. This connectivity is driving the industry's transition from experience-driven to data-driven models. Over the long term, this will force collaborative upgrades throughout the industry chain, prompting upstream suppliers to expand standardized ingredient production capacity.

Risk warnings include intensifying industry competition, application scenarios falling short of expectations, and slower-than-anticipated expansion of chain restaurant operations.