Robotazia, based in Milton Keynes, north-west of London, employs 20 staff and four robots, owners Joy Gittens and Mark Swannell told Insider.
The restaurant bought the four server robots, which all look similar to “Ella” pictured below, from Japan.
I sat in one of the booths where a human server took my order.
The robots have a runway which they roll up and down, delivering food to guests. One side of the booth is blocked off so people don’t disrupt the robots’ flow.
The first robot that came to say hello was called “Sparky,” who was built by Swannell. Although Sparky was friendly and, dare I say it, witty, I preferred chatting to a human.
After Sparky waved goodbye, “Amy” rolled over to my table to deliver the nachos I ordered.
After I took my bowl of nachos off the tray, Amy told me to touch her hand to let her know when I was finished with her service. She replied “bon appetit” — I was impressed.
“Josh” smoothly passed down the aisle with food for another table.
Kate Duffy/Insider
The four robots are costly and require maintenance every week, Swannell said, adding that usually, every Tuesday he has to fix or tweak something on them. They’re more expensive than hiring human servers, he said.
