BBQ-Butler – The world's first app-controlled, self-cleaning grill system

BBQ-Butler — The world’s first app-controlled, self-cleaning grill system

With the BBQ Butler, a completely new chapter has been opened in the area of public grilling: An innovative, fully automatic self-cleaning grill system that is conveniently controlled via an app. Codify AG accompanied this visionary start-up from the initial idea to market readiness.

Intro: Innovation from a strong partnership

Since the early days of the prototype, Codify AG has been accompanying the innovative start-up BBQ-Butler on its journey to revolutionize the way we grill publicly. As a partner for software development and cloud solutions, Codify helped bring the groundbreaking vision of a fully automatic self-cleaning grill system using cutting-edge digital technology to life.

At the heart of this partnership is the BBQ Butler — the world’s first grill system with integrated, automatic cleaning, which is completely controlled via a mobile app. This innovation sets new standards in terms of hygiene, comfort and efficiency in public spaces and opens up completely new business models for operators.

Challenge: Pioneering in a new market

The development of the BBQ-Butler system presented the project team with unique challenges that went beyond pure software development:

• Technical integration of hardware & cloud: The biggest challenge was seamless and reliable communication between the physical grill, the cloud and mobile apps in real time. This required a robust IoT architecture.
• Reliability and scalability: As a cloud-based system, the solution had to reliably process thousands of events (cleaning cycles, bookings, status messages) and be scalable to a potentially large number of systems and users.
• Safety: Implementing secure mechanisms for booking, payment and device access was essential, as was protecting sensitive data and securing IoT communication.
• Complex user requirements: It was necessary to serve two different but interdependent user groups: end users who want to easily and intuitively find, book and pay for a grill system, and operators who need a powerful tool for monitoring, configuration and analysis.
• High quality standards: For a system that is used in public spaces and generates revenue directly, the highest requirements for stability, performance and reliability were a matter of course.

Approach: Iterative, Cloud-Native, and Two-Sided

To overcome these complex challenges, Codify AG chose a strategic approach based on iteration, cloud-native technologies and the consideration of both user perspectives:

• From prototype to full-fledged system: The collaboration began in the Explore phase with the design and construction of a prototype. This iterative approach made it possible to test core functions early on, obtain feedback and gradually refine the product, minimizing risks and ensuring product-market fit.
• Hybrid cloud architecture: A robust and scalable infrastructure was implemented on the basis of a hybrid cloud architecture. AWS IoT Core served as a reliable, managed MQTT broker for real-time communication with devices, while Google Cloud (Firebase, Cloud Run) was used for event processing, data storage (Firestore), and backend logic (Docker Container on Cloud Run).
• Two custom apps: Two separate but integrated mobile applications were developed using Ionic and Angular: The BBQ app for end users (location finding, booking, payment via Stripe API, ApplePay, GooglePay, PayPal) and the operating tool for operators (configuration, monitoring, statistics). This approach ensured that the specific needs of each target group were optimally met.
• Focus on reliability and safety: By using managed services (AWS IoT Core, Firebase) and implementing robust backend logic (Node.js) and secure payment processing (Stripe), high standards of reliability and security were achieved.

Outcome: Technically strong, strategically scalable

The result of the long-standing partnership between Codify AG and BBQ-Butler is a groundbreaking system that successfully turns the vision of a self-cleaning, app-controlled grill into reality:

• Successful market launch: The world’s first app-controlled, self-cleaning grill system was successfully developed and launched on the market.
• Robust & scalable architecture: A technologically advanced hybrid cloud architecture (AWS & GCP) ensures reliability and scalability for future growth.
• Seamless integration: The complex integration of physical hardware, IoT communication, cloud backend, and mobile apps works smoothly.
• Comprehensive solution: Both end users benefit from a simple and hygienic grilling experience and operators from a powerful control and monitoring tool.
• Basis for a new business model: The system enables an innovative pay-per-use model for public barbecues.

“Working with Codify AG was decisive for realizing our vision. They have managed to combine our innovative hardware with a first-class, reliable and intuitive software solution. From prototype to fully functional, app-controlled system, they stood by us as a competent and flexible partner.”

— Felix Warrisch, BBQ Butler