Robo-Waiters Prove To Be A Necessity For Contactless Portland-Area Bistro
Robo-Waiters Prove To Be A Necessity For Contactless Portland-Area Bistro
BY TYLER DURDEN SUNDAY, MAR 07, 2021 - 22:30
About one-year into the virus pandemic, the return to normalcy
for the restaurant industry is unlikely. More than 100,000 restaurants have
already failed, revenues remain collapsed, and millions of workers are laid
off. There was a glimmer of hope on
Friday when some 75% of all US job gains in February were waiters and
bartenders; besides that, COVID-19 has cleared the way for
restaurant automation.
Automated kiosks, robotic bartenders, flippy the
hamburger robot, automated pizza
kitchens, and the list go on and on how restaurant operators
who survived lockdowns are finding digital solutions for ordering, food
preparations, delivery, and even serving.
While health experts are suggesting people stay at least 6 feet
from others, one restaurant in Portland, Oregon, has found an innovative way to
serve food without face-to-face interactions with patrons.
At Bistro Royale in Beaverton, the restaurant uses autonomous
robots to minimize customer interaction between staff and customers while
serving food.
Kalvin Myint, a co-owner of Bistro Royal, told the local newspaper Mail Tribune that he began using the robot last August.
"I
love to actually play with all these new technologies," said Myint.
"So, when we were looking for a solution, in terms of providing a safer
dining experience, my tendency is actually to lean towards technology and see
what's available out there."
Myint and his wife, Poe, opened Bistro Royale during the
pandemic last year. The couple owns another restaurant and divided staff
between both to minimize layoffs during lockdowns.
"It
was challenging, no doubt about it, but at the same time, it was also exciting
in a way," he said of opening a restaurant during a pandemic. "We
love problem-solving, and it gives you a sort of motivation or push to try
harder."
Myint said: "We have to keep evolving and
changing and coming up with new things to sort of forge ahead of
everybody."
That's when he decided to employ three robots (Milo, Navi, and
the Beast). The serving robots use mapping software to navigate between
customers and obstacles in the restaurant.
Myint clarifies that he does not believe robots can — or should
— fully replace human servers.
"In
the robotic industry, there's a lot of worry about robots taking jobs
away," he explained. "They're like a cellphone, right? You have your
cellphone as a tool. So, we're using them as a tool to sort of amplify what
they do best."
The robots are "celebrities," he said. "We have
families just come here for Milo. I guess he's getting more popular than the
restaurant."
Robotic servers, Kiosks and apps, and all other sorts of automation
introduced to restaurants to maintain social distancing are job killers. While
last month's surge in restaurant jobs was inevitable, don't get too excited
that a "V-shape" recovery in bartenders and servers will be seen
anytime soon - due to the deep scarring caused by the pandemic.
The ushering in
of automation and artificial intelligence into the industry will eventually
result in entire restaurants controlled without humans - that could happen
as early as the end part of this decade.
What does
this all mean? Well, technological unemployment will continue to rise for years
to come.
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