Customers at Jacky’s Waterplace & Sushi Bar in Providence may have noticed a certain restaurant employee that stands out from the others.
Or rather, rolls out.
While delivering trays of sushi rolls and steamed dumplings to tables, this particular worker doesn’t engage in small talk with customers but will sing “Happy Birthday,” so long as the proper buttons are pushed.
Retailing for $15,000, BellaBot, or “Bella,” was designed by Shenzhen Pudu Technology Co. Ltd., a Chinese robotics firm that “provides users with an unprecedented food delivery robot experience,” according to its website. In its latest report, Pudu says it exported over 53,000 robots to more than 600 cities in 2022.
Jacky’s General Manger Val Astrologo says Bella’s purpose was not to replace staff but to help them.
“We look at it more as an assistant and not something there to replace anyone,” he said, noting its ability to carry multiple large trays over to tables in one trip, a challenging task for the most seasoned food runner.
“It will load up four trays, get the food to the table and the server can follow,” he said.
As other sectors of the economy rebound, the hospitality industry continues to contend with rising prices and labor shortages. The number of Rhode Island jobs in the accommodation and food services sector fell by 300 in November 2022, marking three consecutive months of declines totaling 2,400 jobs, according to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training. The state now has 9% fewer industry jobs than it did in 2019.
Observers are keeping a close eye on the speed and scope of industrywide adaptations.
In Rhode Island, at least four restaurants have used robots as food runners, including Jacky’s, Lemongrass LLC in Warwick and Angelo’s Palace Pizza in Cumberland.
“More industry businesses will employ the use of robotics to create a more efficient workflow, provide new experiences for guests, and to give staff the tools and support necessary to provide the best service,” said Dale J. Venturini, CEO and president of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association. “[But robots] cannot and will not take the place of restaurant workers, whose personal touch and work ethic have made the industry what it is today.”
Academic institutions have already pivoted, preparing the next generation of restaurateurs, managers and chefs. At Johnson & Wales University’s Department of Culinary Arts, professor Ray McCue says many students – no strangers to modern tech – have embraced the revolution.
“We are discussing it every day in the classroom, these paradigm shifts in the industry,” he said. “We have to use it to our advantage, like any other tool.”
However, certain tasks still require old-fashioned methods. After Bella’s arrival, Astrologo says he made a trial run to test its skills at directing customers to tables but found the robot more suited to grunt labor than hosting. Though it was preprogrammed with a layout of the restaurant and equipped with sensors, seating people still requires thinking on your feet and not your wheels.
“Customers often asked if they could have a different table instead,” said Astrologo, noting the robot’s current limitations.
The restaurant industry is still short 400,000 workers compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to national data. Brian Warrener, associate professor of food and beverage industry management at JWU’s College of Hospitality Management, says robots might be a financially feasible solution to the worker shortage but predicts its long-term growth more in the kitchen than on the floor.
“Robots completing manual tasks in the front of the house have limited usefulness and are probably more performative at this point,” he said, highlighting research indicating American consumers’ stubborn preference for “real human service.”
Warrener says the topic of emerging technology is now a prominent focus within the JWU curriculum.
Customers disinclined toward robot appreciation may have to become more accustomed, according to professor Farbod Farhadi at Roger Williams University’s Mario J. Gabelli School of Business.
“The computing power that we have has made these technologies cheaper and more accessible,” he said. “There is going to have to be shifts in expectations of both the consumers and producers.”
The pandemic showed how technological innovation in this space can be the difference between survival and extinction. During the pandemic, “many restaurants that didn’t have options for ordering online and food delivery went out of business,” Farhadi said. “Everybody had to adjust.”
Astrologo says customers are critical of Bella, accusing the restaurant of outsourcing jobs. But that was never the intention. In fact, Bella’s arrival led to more tips for waitstaff, now freer to attend to customers.
There may be more to these naysayers than simple neo-luddism, according to McCue.
“Currently, it’s more of a conversational piece than anything else,” he said. “Is that robot going to bring you extra napkins or remember an extra sauce on the side? We’re not there yet.”
But Bella can perform one task often dreaded by waitstaff. “I don’t know any restaurant people that like to sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ ” Astrologo said.
