I've witnessed a strong push back from workers, owners and even patrons on using robotics in restaurants, specifically in full service fine dining bars and restaurants.
Most of my connections on LinkedIn are in the service industry and many of them are in Boise and Denver and have told me they would never use bartending robotics in their restaurants. For all of the investment being dumped into these types of technologies and believe investors, especially VC's have under estimated why people go out to begin with. They go out for social interactions and to talk not only to their friends, but also with their bartenders and servers. There's a few bars that I can think of that really need a bartending robot for specialty cocktails that are made the same way every time, but yet the push back far out ways the wants of the owner to invest 250 K into a helpful patron robotic arm that knocks out drinks 10 every few minutes. I'm curious what my fellow hospitality industry thinks about interaction with robotics in fine dining?
There's no doubt that fast food will be automated of course, but skills required to work in fine dining go far beyond shaking drinks. Guess interaction, creativity of drinks and culinary dishes and demeanor are just a few skills needed that a robot will never possess. ATM's were thought to replace tellers, and in some respects they very much did.
Robotics have completely changed the way vehicles are constructed but yet they employ just as many people today in sales and engineering.
I still think a few bars should adopt this robotic bartender for the specialty drinks in some aspects. Especially when they build server and bartending stations half the size as they are needed to service their restaurants. Failure to adequately support your clientele usually leads to long ticket times and waits at the front, bar and patrons that are currently sitting. I'm curious to see how many of these little helpers we will see in the next few years moving forward.
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