Robots Replace Waiters in China

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Dec 22nd 2010 @ 1:00PM

China's robot waiter restuarant Photo: AP Photo

Are we entering the age when the first words we'll hear when we dine out are, "Hello, I'm Anne Droid, and I'll be your waiter"? Could be. A new technology may soon marginalize the need for humans in the restaurant industry. Earlier this month we reported on a questionable robotic butcher in Japan, and now there are robotic waiters in China taking orders with no need for a tip, reports the Associated Press.

We'd like to second Saturday Night Live 'Weekend Update' correspondent Seth Meyers from last Saturday -- "Because that's what the Chinese should be working on, ways to make their ten-trillion people unnecessary." -- and add that every rising actor, writer, artist and second-job-er in America would appreciate if those little electronic workers stayed right where they are.

According to the AP, "More than a dozen robots operate in the restaurant" -- Dalu Robot, billed as the first robot-staffed eatery in the country -- "as entertainers, servers, greeters and receptionists. Each robot has a motion sensor that tells it to stop when someone is in its path so customers can reach for dishes they want."

First-time patron Li Xiaomei told the AP: "They have a better service attitude than humans," who can be "temperamental or impatient, but they don't feel tired, they just keep working and moving round and round the restaurant all night." That may be true, but there's no chip for witty comebacks to the customers. Or flirting back. Not that we do that sort of thing.

Filed Under: Business, Trends, Restaurants
Tags: china, featured, restaurants, robot, service, waiter