From IoT To AI: How Middleby Is Powering The Future Of Foodservice

Mar 1, 2026

James Kuhl, Chief Technology and Operations Officer at Middleby with 30+ years in connected kitchen innovation. He digs into digital automation and IoT-powered kitchens. Conversation covers harmonizing equipment and analytics, AI for uptime and cost control, robotics and ventless/ghost kitchen formats, and real-world Innovation Kitchens for prototyping and training.

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INSIGHT

Harmonized Controls Turn Many Brands Into One Platform

Middleby harmonizes many independent brand control systems into a single experience called Open Kitchen for consistent operation.
Harmonized controls let operators approach any Middleby device and understand use, then feed device data to the cloud for real-time analytics that boost uptime and profitability.

ADVICE

Use AI To Predict Service Issues And Raise Uptime

Apply AI to service and maintenance to detect field issues faster and improve equipment uptime.
James teases AI-driven controls and service analytics that flag problems early so teams can remedy issues and guarantee higher uptime.

ADVICE

Automate Compliance Tasks To Save Labor

Automate routine tasks to free operator time and reduce errors by replacing manual logging with cloud-connected reporting.
Middleby automates HACCP temperature logs and store tasks, saving thousands of operator hours and meeting health department requirements automatically.

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What if the biggest transformation in hospitality isn't happening in the dining room, but in the kitchen you never see?

In this episode, I'm joined by James Pool, Chief Technology and Operations Officer at Middleby, a company quietly powering more than a hundred brands across commercial foodservice and food processing. With more than three decades spent accelerating how food is cooked, prepared, and delivered at scale, James offers a rare look inside the technology, automation, and connected platforms reshaping how some of the world's most recognizable restaurant and retail brands operate.

We explore what the connected, IoT-enabled kitchen actually looks like in practice, and why James prefers to think of it as digital automation for the entire restaurant. From front-of-house energy optimization to automated food safety reporting and real-time equipment intelligence in the back, the conversation reveals how data is being used to reduce waste, improve uptime, simplify training, and ultimately increase profitability at the store level. This isn't about adding more screens or more complexity, it's about removing friction from every step of the operation.

James also shares how Middleby is bringing together a vast portfolio of technologies, from rapid-cook ovens and ventless kitchens to robotics and AI-driven service insights, into a single harmonized experience. That integration is opening the door to new formats such as ghost kitchens and non-traditional locations, where food can be prepared almost anywhere without the constraints that once defined a commercial kitchen. Along the way, we discuss how brands like Yum! Brands, Dunkin', Domino's, and Kroger are balancing speed, consistency, cost control, and customer experience in an environment where every investment must prove its return.

The episode also takes us inside Middleby's Innovation Kitchens around the world, where operators can experiment with layouts, workflows, and equipment in real conditions before committing capital in the field. It's a powerful reminder that the future of hospitality is being prototyped long before it reaches the high street.

So as automation, AI, and real-time analytics move from the factory floor into the heart of the restaurant, is the smart kitchen becoming the most important competitive advantage in foodservice, and are brands ready to rethink how their entire operation is designed around it?