Equipment investments minimize labor needs for operatorsEquipment investments minimize labor needs for operators

Amid an ongoing labor crunch and ingredient-cost inflation, restaurants are taking a closer look at equipment that can help them operate more efficiently, including robotics that automate some cooking processes, fryers that drain and fill themselves and dough-processing equipment that minimizes the prep work involved in pizza operations.

“We are exploring and testing all types of robotics and automation technology right now,” said Tim Brown, chief of operations at Toledo, Ohio-based Marco’s Pizza.

In the near term, the biggest opportunities will come from “simple, cost-effective innovations” that enable workers to perform tasks more quickly, or that automate some cumbersome tasks, or that make order accuracy and ingredient measurement more...