The Red Ginger Restaurant in Melbourne, Florida, has everything you’d expect from a high-end Chinese restaurant: a comfortable waiting area, elegant decor, and robots.
“I highly recommend (server robots),” manager Lilly Ni said. “They’re expensive, but a good long-term investment.”
Restaurant robots like the ones used at the Red Ginger are a growing trend in the industry as owners look for innovative solutions to labor shortages, budget constraints, and a way to stand out from the competition.
According to a study by Arizton, the robot waiter market will reach $1.97 billion by 2028. This growth is expected due to advances in automation, labor shortages, the need for enhanced hygiene, and the novelty of robot service.
What Are Robots in Restaurants & What Can They Do?
Restaurant robots are AI-driven machines that are programmed to handle simple restaurant work like seating customers, carrying trays, and even making drinks. They contain advanced sensors, cameras, and AI technology to complete their tasks and interact with customers.
The most common robots in restaurants are server robots. They primarily carry plates for the waitstaff. Robots can carry more trays and heavier loads and maneuver around people without the threat of spilling. Using robots can save the human staff back strain from carrying large trays. Server robots can also independently carry dirty dishes back to the dishwasher or bus station.
Robot hosts are growing more common too. They can greet and seat customers and alert servers (human or otherwise) about the new table. Some restaurant robots are more functional, like RichTech Robotic’s ADAM, which makes coffees and cocktails. Others are cutely shaped or have cat faces. These restaurant robots can address people, sing birthday songs, tell jokes, or even ask you to get out of their way.
Restaurant robots generally don’t take food orders, but restaurants sometimes get around that by using restaurant point-of-sale (POS) systems with order screens at the table or QR codes that take you to a menu to order from.
The Worldwide Trend of Robots in Restaurants
Asian Pacific countries like China, Japan, and South Korea are the most likely to employ robot wait staff, with North America being the next biggest-growing market. The hotel, restaurant, and catering industries are the largest-growing segment of the service robot industry as owners discover the utility of restaurant robots, and technological advances make them more versatile.
According to the Arizton study, the most common innovation trends are focused on enhancing customer experience. One focus for designers is enhancing sensors to improve mobility when navigating crowded areas. Pudu Robotics’ BellaBot, for example, has three RGBD depth cameras to detect obstacles and stop in as quickly as half a second.
Other advancements are geared toward customer interaction, as seen with Richtech Robotics’ bartender robot, ADAM. ADAM can create over 100 drinks from coffee to cocktails, and now Richtech is improving its interactive software.
“Richtech Robotics believes these advancements will revolutionize ADAM’s capabilities beyond its role as a robot bartender, barista, or boba tea maker, enabling it to engage in sophisticated conversations with customers and emulate human actions with exceptional accuracy,” the company said.
It premiered ADAM’s new skills at the MASL USA vs Mexico All-Star Game on Sept. 10, 2023, where the bartender robot not only poured beer but engaged people in conversation and dancing.
Are Robot Waiters Worth It?
Whether you are starting a restaurant or are looking to improve a restaurant, you might find restaurant robots a good way to cut labor costs and enhance customer service.
“Restaurants should consider [restaurant robots] if they are struggling with staffing shortages, increasing pay wages, or if the staff they have are struggling to keep up with all of the different job duties that come with service,” said Derrick Harmon, Sales Director of Bear Robotics. “Robots are able to provide the perfect ‘helping hand’ to humans inside restaurants.”
By lightening the waitstaff’s workload, servers have more time to talk to their customers, make sure drinks are refilled, and focus on other personal touches that enhance the dining experience.
Ni said that their robots, Katty (which seats people) and Bella (which serves as frontrunner) have also helped prevent accidents and strains. “Our restaurant is huge. We walk a lot every day. Servers used to carry huge trays, causing shoulder strain. Sometimes the trays would slip and fall. That never happens with Bella.”
“It’s so cool!” Red Ginger server Helen Li said. “It saves us time. The customers love it. The kids are so excited.”
The novelty of restaurant robots themselves can be a big draw. U & Me Revolving Hot Pot in Orlando, Florida, has enjoyed great publicity through TikTok, YouTube, and other social media with its robot host and wait staff.
A restaurant robot costs $10,000 to $20,000 to buy or $750 to $1,500 a month to rent. This is cheaper than hiring wait staff, especially if you add in unemployment, payroll taxes, benefits, and other expenses involved in hiring. A study by Culinary Services Group found that over three years, a robot server cost $28,000 to $33,000, whereas the equivalent human staff cost $93,000.
Ni said this has been an important consideration. “Labor is expensive, and it’s hard to get good employees. Robots are always here. They don’t have good and bad days.”
While there are a lot of advantages, there are some considerations. Robots need room to maneuver—no sucking in the belly and holding the tray high to squeeze between people. They need upkeep, a dedicated space to recharge or stay while waiting for the next task, and cannot work in certain conditions.
They are not a one-size-fits-all solution either. Casual restaurants can easily incorporate robots with music, funny faces, and even a sassy attitude. Upscale or fine-dining spots will want to more carefully consider how to make their robot assistants more unobtrusive.
Will Robots Replace Humans in Restaurants?
Like any restaurant technology, robot waiters have their limits. They break down. They don’t work well with stairs or the outdoors. They aren’t as maneuverable as a human and need more space to operate in. And, of course, they don’t have the capacity of humans to deal with the unexpected or empathize with a customer.
The busy restaurant chain Chili’s tried a robot server, Rita, in 2020 in 61 of its US restaurants but halted the experiment in August 2022 because it found Rita was too slow, got in the way of the human servers, and didn’t significantly enhance customer experience. They may not work well for soups or drinks, either.
Meanwhile, other restaurants find their robot waitstaff enhances their establishment’s overall efficiency and atmosphere—but as assistants to their human servers, not replacements.
“Robots and humans coming together actually make us more human by interacting more with our guests,” Carlos Gazitua, CEO of Sergio’s Restaurants, said on the Bear Robotics site. In fact, Gazitua said that his waitstaff started getting more tips after they instituted the Servi robots to carry plates because the waitstaff could concentrate on their customers better.
While some experts claim that eventually, robot staff will replace humans, others insist that technology will not replace the human element that makes dining out a welcoming experience.
Ni said about 20% of her customers, particularly regulars, don’t like the robots, especially the hostess bot, Kelly. “When we seat people, we’re chatty. We ask, ‘How are you?’ the robot just sees a customer.”
Last Bite
The trend for robots in restaurants is going to grow, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. By using robot servers to carry trays, seat diners, and help bus tables, you can handle more guests with less staff while still giving your waiters more time to take care of their customers.
As the technology grows, we’ll see restaurant robots taking on other tasks. But will they take over completely? Not anytime soon. Like with most technological advances, they can be a great asset when used well, but they do not replace the value that comes from human service.
