Friendly robot waiter helps ease staff shortages

Wait staff run off their feet this summer because of worker shortages are getting an extra hand of the non-human kind.

A robotic waiter, BellaBot, is helping deliver meals from the kitchen to tables, then running dirty dishes back to the kitchen.

At Paihia restaurant Green’s Thai Cuisine, the BellaBot means wait staff can spend an average of 11 to 12 minutes longer at each table, owner Vikas Sharma said.

‘‘It’s not taking anybody’s job – basically it does the work for a runner,’’ he said. ‘‘Once the food comes to the table, the waiters can pick the food up [and serve it to diners].’’

The robot has sensors and cameras to stop it bumping into chairs or tables, and makes chit-chat as it moves around the restaurant to ensure people know it is coming.

The robot was attracting fascinated diners, especially children who loved how it talked and responded to being touched, Sharma said. ‘‘One guy came four nights in a row.’’

The BellaBot was imported by G Robotics because of concerns about the lack of hospitality staff. The Bay of Islands has been particularly impacted because of the seasonal nature of the work, the lack of international tourists on working holidays, and Northland being virtually cut off from the rest of the country for months by lockeddown Auckland.

Vaccine mandates have also put off potential workers, but Sharma said all his 16 staff willingly got vaccinated.

While the robot is a point of interest for customers, its use has copped some criticism on social media, with people calling it the ‘‘thin edge of the wedge’’ for more advanced robotics to take over jobs, and others saying they prefer human service.

Sharma said Green’s would prefer to hire more humans, if it could find them, and it had positions open. In the meantime, the BellaBot was about providing help.

‘‘The intention is not to displace anyone – it’s just a full runner and giving a hand from the kitchen to the table.’’

Cobb & Co franchise owner Ben Gower agreed the robots were more of a helper and a novelty than a staff replacement.

He was trialling two robots at Cobb & Co Rotorua – mostly as a formof entertainment at the child-friendly restaurant – with a view to using them in other restaurants.

The robots had created plenty of intrigue and fascination, with comments overwhelmingly positive from diners in the restaurant, Gower said. ‘‘We see kids following the robots around the restaurant like the Pied Piper.’’

But Gower had also seen negative online comments about the future of robots and the impact they might have on the industry.

He believed people need not worry. ‘‘At the moment these robots aren’t replacing jobs; for us, the key aspect is novelty.

‘‘Staff in a restaurant do amultitude of different tasks which a robot can’t possibly do.’’