Yet, here we are, rushing headlong into the "IoT". We ought to recognize this for what it is: pursuit of profit from uninformed purchasers.
Still it would make sense to have an possibility to connect them to local network.
Internet = Second party controlled server,
Local network = Your own controlled server.
Because otherwise it's still internet-connected. If nothing else, the first person connecting to it with a cell phone is enough.
Certainly nothing is made better automatically, but there are a lot of features you can design and build.
For example, Halogen hobs turn off if there are no pans for a period of time. Much cleaner solution.
Identify the specific long-term opportunities where the added technology can actually give users a superpower: a valuable ability they didn't have before. That's what we've tried to do with Pantelligent. (Disclaimer: co-founder / https://www.pantelligent.com/ ) For us, it's the ability for home chefs of any skill level [democratization] to cook any frying pan-based meals [versatility] perfectly [quality] every time [repeatability], even when you're multitasking in the kitchen [convenience]. If that isn't adding user value by adding a bit of connected intelligence to an everyday home appliance, then I don't know what is!
All this seem to be the logical next step in the evolution of corporation trying to exploit the internet for their own needs and turn it into a massive surveillance tool. Something that started quite a while ago on the day advertising invited itself to the party.
This is mostly motivated by the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) guidelines that the US FDA has set in place. Someday that designation will change from "suggested" to "mandatory".
The equipment requirements are pretty large. Restaurants need devices to track refrigeration temperatures, cooking/holding/production temperatures and times, equipment status, check probes, and lots more. Eventually most of the devices in a kitchen will be IoT connected in some form or another. Many of the larger chains will also want this data pushed upstream to their servers for overall safety monitoring and, eventually, other "big data" benefits from seeing store production in near real-time.