Flowable food product dispenser with automated portion control

A dispenser system operable to selectively dispense a food product as desired by a user, the dispenser system comprising:

• a plurality of dispensers, each of the plurality of dispensers including:
• a main housing;
• an electric drive motor,
• a front-facing control panel, and
• a control unit positioned behind and electronically connected to the front-facing control panel;
• and
• a container removably attached to the main housing, the container having an open interior configured to receive the food product,
• wherein the control unit is configured to:
• determine an amount of time or a number of rotations the electric drive motor needs to operate to dispense a predetermined amount of the food product based on a first input received at the front-facing control panel, and
• continuously operate the electric drive motor to dispense a user-determinable amount of the food product while a second input is being received at the front-facing control panel.

A method of selectively dispensing a food product on a food item, the method comprising:

• providing a dispenser that includes an electric drive motor, a dispensing tube, a control panel, a control unit, and a container configured to hold the food product before being dispensed;
• receiving a first input, via the control panel, regarding a type of the food item or a size of the food item configured to receive the food product;
• determining, via the control unit, an amount of time or a number of rotations the drive motor needs to operate to dispense a predetermined amount of the food product onto the food item based on the first input;
• and
• dispensing the predetermined amount of the food product through the dispensing tube.