A Chinese buffet restaurant gained the attention of the global food industry and the scientific community last November 2021 due to its unorthodox approach to serving food to customers. To support the safety of their patrons from coronavirus and fill the gaps of employee shortage, the management opts to use robots as servers.
Like many other establishments and businesses, the said restaurant was short-staffed due to the pandemic. But these robots proved very useful for hungry visitors. The AI-powered machines were built with four shelves to hold servings for many people. In addition, the robots can serve up to four tables in just a single route.
Instructions are given to the diners as they get the foods through an audio recording that is programmed into each of the robot units. According to a report by DailyMail, each of the units is doing over 100 kilometers of travel inside the restaurant each week. The restaurant owners found the approach effective and are now hiring people to cater specifically to the 'emotional needs' of the customers, including queries and other information about the food ingredients.
BellaBots in The Chinese Buffet
In this picture taken on October 26, 2018, Nepali-made robot waiters deliver food to customers at Naulo restaurant in Kathmandu. - "Please enjoy your meal," says Nepal's first robot waiter, Ginger, as she delivers a plate of steaming dumplings to a table of hungry customers. The poor Himalayan nation is better known for its soaring mountain peaks than technological prowess, but a group of self-taught young innovators are seeking to change that.
The Chinese Buffet is a restaurant that serves Asian-inspired cuisine right at the heart of northwest England. The place is known for its exquisite food quality and bountiful servings. However, the business was struck when the pandemic surged. It pushed the restaurant to elevate its service and provide the same eating experience amidst the scare of COVID-19.
After the last major lockdown, The Chines Buffet re-opened, and because of the restrictions of public health protocols, they required people on the table to order through an app. However, this worsens the diners' experience, as many as still adjusting to contactless communication in public places. The situation made owners Paolo Hu and Peter Wu put the AI-powered machines called BellaBots up and running.
The age of automation is upon us. Digital menu boards have become the new norm and paper-based menus are no longer a thing. The age of AI and digital is here.
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AI Robots Cheaper Than Hiring Waters?
Each Bellabot unit is priced at 20,000 US dollars. It may seem heavy for the budget, but it is less than the cost of hiring a minimum-wage waiter that is scheduled at 40 hours a week.
The Chinese Buffet struggled along many of the businesses in the food industry around the world despite being an established restaurant. One of the problems that the restaurant and many other chains have gone through is the absence of staff. Most of them are still in the process of recovery up until today.
Fortunately, the BellaBots worked perfectly fine and kept the life across the restaurant. There are also several updates on many social media platforms where people purposely come to the place to see the serving robots.
In the face of the COVID scare, the owners saw an opportunity to notch up their service rather than continuing on the traditional table buffet. Aside from a clear exchange of communication and accurate delivery of orders, the business aimed to promote a safe contactless food serving approved by more customers.
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