Want a new way to get a hard working wait staff that will do a proper job and always bring 100 percent customer satisfaction? Try hiring robots.As someone who ones worked in the restaurant industry, I know about the unreliability that sometimes comes with wait staff and cooks. They call in sick, they take days off, they make mistakes cooking and serving food, and when you need them most, they are on break somewhere eating food and/or having a smoke. Believe me, I am not saying everyone is unreliable (I was a hard working cook for a long time), but we are people, and people get sick, take breaks, and make errors. If you were a restaurant owner, what if you were told you could eliminate all that? It would be easy, you would just have to hire…robots.
Robots don’t get sick and they do not take breaks. Sure, they need a tune up every now and again, but they will always be on time and they will do everything they are supposed to. You just need to program that way!
One restaurant in the downtown section of Harbin, China is making the dream of robot servers and cooks a reality. The Digital Bistro has 18 robots that are charged with taking care of all the elements assoocated with preparing and serving the meal. Attached to tracks running throughout the restaurant, these robots are easily able to get from the kitchen to the diners as they need to. They make the noodles, prepare the dumblings, and even greet you with a happy, “Earth person – hello!”
If you are thinking about getting them for your restaurant, just know that each one costs approximately $79,000 to create. Also, you will still need to have some human employees on staff to control the robots and charge the batteries.
(Via: Gizmodiva)
For more great robot stories, read about the robot that will always win rock-paper-scissors and the dance party robot!
