Wichita State tests out a futuristic food trend with Sally, its new salad-making robot
It’s an amazing time to be alive, and few things I’ve seen lately prove that more than Sally, the salad-making robot that’s turning heads and increasing fiber intake at Wichita State University’s Rhatigan Student Center.
The vending machine-shaped robot, which arrived over the summer, sits just outside of the Chick-fil-A kiosk in the center’s food court, and it allows diners to punch buttons and watch as Sally creates a custom-made salad using fresh lettuce, vegetables and toppings. As each topping is chosen, Sally dispenses it from refrigerated canisters visible inside the machine, and it lands in a plastic bowl waiting below.
It’s so cool, so futuristic, said Matt Pray, the senior director for dining services at WSU, people have been eating salads just so they can watch the machine operate. Sally has been dispensing between 35 and 40 salads a day, Pray said.
It’s the only salad vending machine made by the company Chowbotics that’s operating in Wichita.
“It’s got some wow factor,” he said of Sally. “It’s been really successful. The guests who interact with it really love it.”
WSU decided to install the salad robot, Pray said, in part because it fit in with the college’s desire to be on the cutting edge of technology.
Also, he said, there was a perception that the fast-food brands in the RSC like Chick-fil-A, Panda Express and Pizza Hut, didn’t offer enough healthy options. Of the vendors in the food court, only Chick-fil-A sells a salad.
Sally is basically an automated refrigerator, Pray said. The RSC staff fills its canisters at least twice a day with fresh lettuce, veggies and toppings. Items get expiration dates to make sure nothing stays in the machine past its prime.
Earlier this week, I went over to WSU to give Sally a try (and found a parking place quickly, thanks to the nifty new parking garage outside of the RSC).
Sally has a touchscreen, and to start an order, diners press a button indicating whether they want a crispy chicken salad or a custom bowl.
Next, they choose a type of lettuce — kale and spinach, romaine or mixed greens. Topping choices include shredded cheese, grape tomatoes, bacon bits, blueberries, croutons, berry mix, pumpkin seeds and shredded carrots. As each item is selected, the canisters inside the machine spin to a dispensing position, and the ingredients fall into the bowl waiting below.
Finally, diners choose whether they want Ranch, Caesar or balsamic vinaigrette dressing and how much they want poured on.
The salads are $6.99 apiece, and to pay, a diner just slides a credit card.
I let my salad-loving friend and photographer Jaime choose what we got on our salad. She went for romaine lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, bacon, cucumbers, pumpkin seeds and balsamic vinaigrette. You can watch a video of the salad-making action above.
The portions weren’t perfect. Our serving of shredded cheese turned out to be so light, it was barely noticeable. Meanwhile, it seemed like we got three servings of of bacon. And the tomatoes got jammed, so we got none of those, although Sally did offer us the option of canceling the order even though the salad was nearly half constructed.
Tomatoes and their frequent jam-ups are the biggest problem with the machine, Pray said, and the staff has been working with the company on a fix. Still, the machine works well most of the time, and if people do encounter a problem, they can approach any RSC employee and the staff can fix it.
The staff at WSU can change up the ingredients in the canisters, and they plan to from time to time, Pray said.
Chowbotics’ salad vending machines were featured in a New York Times article published late last year titled “How You’ll be Eating in 2019.” They’re part of a trend in robot-made food items that also includes machines that make fancy espresso drinks, grain bowls, pizza, burgers, smoothies and more in various places around the country.
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