Robot Waiters Bring a New Twist to Nairobi Restaurant
In a unique innovation, a new restaurant in Nairobi, Kenya, has introduced robotic waiters to its menu. The robots, named Nadia and Claire, have become a local sensation, smoothly gliding between tables to deliver orders in the two-month-old establishment.
According to waitress Gladys Guda, the robots are a valuable addition to the team. "At times we get really busy. More so on weekends. So when the house is packed, we have ten waiters on the floor and three robots. So these robots are our colleagues, they have names, they help us with the service and their service is perfect," she says.
Customers access the menu by scanning a QR code at the table and placing their order online. Once the food is ready, a bell rings to alert a human waiter who places it on a robot’s tray. The robots then deliver the food to the table after a few commands are keyed in on an iPad.
The use of robotic waiters is not new, with similar establishments in China, Japan, and the United States. However, this is a novel experience for many in East Africa. The restaurant has been making waves in recent weeks, with the robot staff receiving a lot of enthusiasm from customers.
While the introduction of robots has triggered concerns about job displacement, especially in the hospitality industry that employs many people in Kenya, Manager John Kariuki is quick to dispel any worries. "At no point are the robots able to fully function in all the services and everything that are supposed to be ongoing in the restaurant without the human touch," he says. "The robots are actually way too expensive for us to acquire, so if you are trying to save money it is not going to work if you choose to go the robotic way. But we believe that customers deserve to have the technology that is also available in developed countries so that they also experience a few things that are not available in the country. So we incorporated the robots basically for entertainment because that is what our target customers want."
Independent hospitality industry consultant Edith Ojwang offers reassurance, stating that the hospitality industry is diverse and caters to a range of clients. "We have clients who will prefer robotic service and full automation while we also have clients who will prefer human service, the human touch and warmth that comes with human service so it is not entirely a threat to human labour because of the diverse nature of the hospitality client base," she says.
The success of the Robot Cafe may well kick start a new trend in Kenya, offering customers a unique and entertaining dining experience.
