That was the case for Skyler Reeves, owner of The County Seat in Prescott, who bought an automated server in July to solve staffing issues. “These are positions that, in all honesty, people don’t want to do,” Soucek says. Though robots are still a marketing tool “to a certain extent,” according to Soucek, he thinks there will be a “quantum shift” toward automated mobile robots as restaurants continue to have trouble finding people to do menial tasks.
“We have a tremendous amount of interest in it, and we do have proposals out," he says. Soucek, the company’s director of marketing and new product development, says it's in the works. Though the company hasn’t sold any robot servers yet, Paul A. Several companies manufacture robots, including Delta Technology in Tempe, which designs, builds, engineers, and employs automation solutions. “The first time I went, I did not know about it, and it was a very cool and fun surprise,” he says. Niccolo Iannello of Phoenix, who’s been to Kura Sushi “more than 10 times,” has taken people to show them the robots. “The engagement and positivity was truly overwhelming,” Sugimoto says. Sugimoto says when they first rolled out Kur-B in an announcement on social media in June, the post became their most popular ever. Kristina Sky of Phoenix says she initially spied Kur-B at Kura Sushi on TikTok as well, and after seeing it for the first time in person, says it was “the coolest frickin’ thing ever.” Sim Kaur of Buckeye says she drove all the way to Chandler to meet Shiela after seeing it on TikTok. The robots have become rock stars on social media. If someone blocks its way, it might say, “Don’t be obsessed with me too much.
Please take it away!” And it can even be a little sassy. “Lots of customers, they tell us they came to see the Shiela,” Kanyal says.Īs it arrives at a table, Shiela says, “Your meal is ready. Shiela delivers plates of samosas, curry, and dosa, and, like Kur-B, the squat, chirpy machine became an attraction. On a similar note, the owner of Chennai bought a robot named “Shiela” about a year ago to reduce face time in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, manager Nick Kanyal says. The robots deliver quickly and don’t stand around trying to chit-chat. They dislike having to flag down servers, wait for them, and have them hover over them interrupting their meal. A couple of Gen-Z customers admitted that not having to interact with another human was a plus. “It gives the servers more of a chance to talk to the guests.” “They help us a lot to focus on customer interactions,” Nguyen said of the robots. Hajime “Jimmy” Uba, the CEO of Kura Sushi, also said in Restaurant Dive, an industry publication, that robots have helped keep staffing levels at about 95 percent. The chain introduced the robots, which are manufactured by Pudu Robotics in China, this summer in its 37 U.S. The company began researching robots prior to the pandemic as part of its culture of implementing new technology and providing “eatertainment” to guests, says Hideto Sugimoto, director of system and menu development for Kura Sushi USA. “And the children that come in with their parents, they get very excited over the robots.” They talk to them, saying, ‘thank you,’ saying ‘hi,’” she says. They are a talking point for customers, some of whom come specifically to see them, according to Chandler manager Christy Nguyen. Kura Sushi’s robots, named “Kur-B” speak, play sing-song music and deliver water and soft drinks. They can be found here in the Valley at Kura Sushi, a revolving grab-your-own-roll chain out of Japan with locations in Chandler and Phoenix, and Chennai Fusion Grill, an independent Indian restaurant in Chandler. Robots use light-detecting radar or LIDAR to navigate tables and avoid obstacles, rarely making an error and never calling in sick. The cute, talking, rolling automated servers assist with marketing as well, in mass media, social media, and even old-fashioned word-of-mouth.įrom dim sum spots in New York City using robots with kitty faces to Chili’s enlisting “Rita” the robot in more than 50 stores nationwide, including Bullhead City, Lake Havasu, and Kingman, the trend is picking up steam. Now, robots with tiers of trays that deliver food and drinks are starting to fill the gap. Anyone who owns a restaurant, works at a restaurant, or has eaten at a restaurant in the past couple of years knows that the industry has a major labor shortage.