How Cala is revolutionizing restaurant service with autonomy
Having successfully served 25,000 dishes since opening their first robot restaurant in Paris’ fifth arrondissement in 2020, Cala has captured significant attention, with 95% of orders coming through delivery apps like Uber Eats and Deliveroo. Fueled by a recent €5.5M Seed funding round led by BACKED VC, Cala is poised for further expansion across France and Europe, while bolstering its engineering, product, and operations teams.
The challenge
Before deploying their first robots, Cala faced significant challenges in monitoring and remotely diagnosing issues in their autonomous pasta-robot operations.
Cala’s robotic setup consists of three different modules; for example, their pasta robots have a module to handle pasta cooking, sauce management, and toppings. These modules communicate through a local network, with a central Raspberry Pi acting as the hub for data collection and transmission. Their robots were equipped with cameras, but without a remote monitoring system, engineers had to be physically present to oversee the machines. This setup was not feasible as Cala expanded to locations without on-site engineers. They needed a way to remotely follow along with the robot’s operations and review past footage to diagnose issues. Building this infrastructure in-house would have been a considerable effort, so they sought a third-party solution that was polished, robust, and affordable. Additionally, the team needed a platform that could integrate seamlessly with their existing machines without requiring extensive code modifications.
Remote monitoring and diagnostics
As Cala expanded its fleet of autonomous pasta robots to new locations without on-site engineers, the need for remote monitoring and diagnostics became critical. Initially, their robots lacked any remote monitoring capabilities, requiring engineers to be physically present to oversee operations. To address this, Cala installed cameras in their robots to follow along in real time and review past footage in case something went wrong. However, sifting through the vast amounts of data generated proved to be overwhelming when managed solely in-house.
Seamless integration and minimal disruption
Transitioning to a new monitoring system needed to be seamless and efficient for Cala. They required a third-party tool that could easily connect to their existing machines without necessitating extensive code modifications or integrating at the bottom of the stack. The platform had to be polished, robust, and affordable, providing the necessary functionalities without disrupting operations. Additionally, they wanted a solution that wouldn’t force them to strip their code and place it on another platform, thereby minimizing development time and avoiding any interruptions in their service.
Unified device management
Cala needed a solution that treated the entire robot as a single device capable of communicating with various modules. This unified approach would not only simplify their architecture but also reduce operational costs by eliminating the need for on-site engineering support. By managing multiple robots from a single pane of glass, they need to be able to scale locations efficiently and keep costs down even as their fleet expands.
The solution
Formant’s platform and real-time observability feed enable Cala’s team to monitor live video from their robots for efficient remote diagnostics.
Integrating effortlessly with Cala’s existing code base, Formant allows them to connect data points to the cloud without restructuring their data. Formant’s flexible approach treats the entire restaurant setup as a single device, streamlining costs and simplifying management.
Real-time remote monitoring
Formant's platform allowed Cala to sync telemetry data, camera feeds, and events, as well as remotely SSH into the devices. This enabled Cala's engineers to monitor the robot's operations in real time and review past footage to diagnose any issues, eliminating the need for an on-site presence. As a result, Cala could ensure seamless operation and quick troubleshooting, even as they expanded to new locations without resident engineers.
“We couldn’t deploy multiple robots without Formant, as we would be quickly stuck with too little information on what’s happening and no solution to debug the robot without an engineer on-premise every single day.”
Ylan Richard, CEO at Cala
Effortless integration
Cala required a solution that could integrate effortlessly with their existing code base without necessitating a complete restructuring of their software. Formant provided just that, allowing Cala to maintain their software's integrity while simply connecting necessary data points to the cloud. Unlike other tools, which require deep integration at the bottom of the stack, Formant operates independently of Cala's code base, ensuring Cala can retain control over their software development while leveraging Formant's capabilities.
Simplified device management
Formant's flexible approach treats the entire restaurant setup as a single device, rather than requiring separate devices for each robot. Now, the Cala team can focus on opening new locations this year and beyond, without the worry of labor costs associated with extensive on-site support.
The outcome
A unified, scalable solution for Cala’s autonomous restaurants
By leveraging Formant’s cloud-based platform, Cala was able to implement a robust monitoring, diagnostics, and management system for their robotic restaurant operations. With Formant, Cala’s engineers can now remotely monitor real-time telemetry data and camera feeds, diagnose issues quickly, and maintain seamless operations without needing on-site presence. This has enabled Cala to efficiently manage its growing fleet of robots, ensuring consistent quality and performance. As a result, Cala is empowered to scale their autonomous pasta-robot restaurants across new locations, providing affordable, healthy meals to more customers with improved operational efficiency.
