Are robots coming to a restaurant near you?

Recently one of my friends posted a photo of a robotic “waiter” at a restaurant where they were dining. It took their orders via touchscreen and it brought out the food on a tray when it was ready. With worker shortages ongoing, investing in technology seems like a logical move, although whether diners will appreciate this change remains to be seen. Not only are companies looking at robotic servers and busboys, they are interested in robots for back of the house roles as well. Food safety company Ecolab recently purchased Miso Robotics, a company that makes robots for fast-food restaurants.

Miso’s flagship product is called the Flippy, a machine that makes French fries and other fried foods. They also make robots that manage beverages and perform other repetitive kitchen tasks. Ecolab is betting that these products will become more popular as restaurants search for ways to improve customer service – and the bottom line.

These products are first making inroads at fast food establishments where the setting is more conducive to a shift toward more technology and less human interaction. Apps let you order ahead and drive to a designated spot where your food is brought out to you and self-service ordering kiosks are becoming popular. Not everyone is on board with these changes, however. Many people prefer to order their food from a human being and not a touchscreen or an app.

If I am getting fast food or my morning latte, I am okay with using an app that lets me skip the line and grab my food without delay. I have not encountered any robots in sit-down restaurants and I am not sure how much I would enjoy that experience, however. Last week when I was dining out at a new restaurant I asked the server which of two options she thought was better. Her explanation made it easier to determine which menu item I would enjoy more – something I would not get from a robot. But if they had a robot washing dishes, I wouldn’t mind (that was one of my first jobs and it was not a particularly pleasant one).