Taster's AI and automation show why virtual kitchens may rule the age of delivery

The rapid rise of meal delivery services is happening in plain sight, as companies like Deliveroo and Uber Eats send riders and drivers zipping around town with takeout of every variety. But as so often happens with new platforms, a secondary and less visible revolution is rippling across the restaurant industry thanks to the rise of virtual kitchens. London-based Taster is an example of how the intersection of meal delivery services, artificial intelligence, and data is creating opportunities that threaten the restaurant industry with even greater disruption. While meal delivery services initially seemed like a boom for local restaurants, it is virtual kitchens -- with their ability to optimize and automate -- that may ultimately win the food wars. Taster was founded two years ago by Anton Soulier, an early employee of Deliveroo who wanted to take this food transformation further. "I thought there was a big opportunity to build a food company on top of these platforms," he said.