An automated belt cooking machine (10) for pancakes and the like food products has upper and lower overlapping, thermally conductive belts (12, 14), counter-rotatably mounted to a frame (16) so that, in use, a bottom run (30) of the upper belt (12) and a top run (32) of the lower belt (14) co-operate to convey food (40) to be cooked. The lower belt (14) extends a predetermined distance to one side of the upper belt (12) so as to provide a dispensing platform portion (38) for dispensing thereon the food to be cooked (40), so that the food (40) is conveyed towards a mouth (52) formed between the upper belt and lower belts (12, 14) and thereafter is conveyed sandwiched between the bottom and top run (30, 32). Upper and lower heating platens (26,28) are mounted to the frame (16) and are in thermal contact with the bottom and top run (30, 32), wherein the food to be cooked (40) is initially exposed to heat from the lower platen (28) conducted through the dispensing platform portion (38).