When Shin Starr embarked on creating a self-operating kitchen, the team realized that simply having robots cook wouldn’t be enough to sustain the business. The real key to OLHSO Korean BBQ food truck’s success would be its ability to serve up hot, flavorful, and freshly prepared meals at an affordable cost.
“Ultimately, customers aren’t interested in the advanced technology inside your truck or kitchen,” Kish Shin, Shin Starr’s co-founder and CEO, shared with TechCrunch. “What matters to them is the value they receive.”
Han Sungil, a chef who has operated more than 18 restaurants in Korea, moved to the U.S. to oversee Shin Starr’s food operations, which also include a physical restaurant in San Mateo. Expectations for the cuisine are therefore quite high. While we haven’t yet sampled the food ourselves, we’re eager to try the wagyu galbi and tteokbokki when the food truck arrives at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, where Shin Starr will participate in the Startup Battlefield 200.
While companies such as DoorDash are testing out autonomous delivery robots, Shin Starr has taken a different approach: the truck is driven by a person, but the interior is equipped with the company’s “Autowok”—a modular, AI-driven robotic system that takes care of cooking, serving, and cleaning. After Han prepares the ingredients, the Autowok manages everything else.
As the truck travels down the highway, Shin Starr’s robotic setup pulls fresh, prepped ingredients from a fridge and places them onto a conveyor. The ingredients are then dropped into a slanted, cylindrical container that heats up like a wok and spins to cook the food. Once cooking is finished and the meal is packaged, the system can wash and sanitize the container, readying it for the next order.
“It was built to cook and serve meals while on the move,” Shin explained. “So, if you order a wagyu beef dish and the truck is 15 minutes away, since it takes eight minutes to prepare, we’ll start cooking when the truck is seven minutes from your location. That way, your meal is freshly made when it arrives.”
Image Credits:Shin Starr
While other startups in the robotic kitchen space have struggled to find their market, Shin Starr believes airports are the perfect fit. The company is preparing to launch an OLHSO micro restaurant in a major California airport, and if it proves successful, other airports are already showing interest in adopting the technology.
Because the airport micro restaurant doesn’t require human staff, it can remain open around the clock.
“At 11 p.m., every restaurant shuts down. For the next eight hours, there’s nothing to eat, even though 10% of U.S. travelers fly between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.,” said Tord Olav Dønnum, Shin Starr’s CMO. “This solution finally offers a freshly prepared, restaurant-quality meal—no need to settle for a vending machine candy bar or a stale sandwich.”
Shin Starr made a smart move by bringing on Gower Smith as CPO. Few people have Smith’s expertise in high-tech automated retail. He’s a seasoned entrepreneur in the field and most recently led Swyft, a company that collaborates with brands like Best Buy and CVS to install premium vending machines in locations such as airports and train stations. This enables brands to operate without hiring staff or needing much physical space.
Smith pointed out that the automated setup of the micro restaurant makes it easier to estimate how long each order will take—an advantage in airports, where travelers are often in a hurry. Although the micro restaurant occasionally needs a person to restock the fridge and prep ingredients, it should otherwise operate independently.
“Airports are just the beginning for us; we plan to expand into hotels, where guests arriving late at night want a quality meal,” Smith told TechCrunch. “Whether it’s in hospitals or on college campuses at 2 a.m., there are plenty of places where this kind of dining experience is needed.”
If you’re interested in hearing directly from Shin Starr—and want to check out dozens of other startups, watch their pitches, and listen to speakers across four stages—join us at Disrupt, happening October 27 to 29 in San Francisco. Learn more here.
