Jump to content
Facebook Twitter Youtube

[Gadgets] Not-so dumb waiter: UK restaurant chain Bella Italia trials robot service


Recommended Posts

Posted

Hospitality businesses look to hi-tech gadgets amid staff shortages after Covid pandemic and Brexit

915.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format

As worker shortages are felt across the hospitality sector, the owners of the Bella Italia chain are turning to robots to provide table service to customers.

Big Table Group, which also owns Café Rouge and Las Iguanas, is testing out the robot at its Bella Italia restaurant in Center Parcs Whinfell Forest in Cumbria, in the first such trial by a big restaurant chain.

The BellaBot, made by Chinese company Pudu, can carry up to 40kg on four trays and deliver and retrieve plates from tables with help from humans who load and unload its “body”.

4822.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=forma

Eric Guo, the chief executive of Spark which distributes Pudu robots in the UK, said there were 60 working across 20 British businesses and he expected more orders in the year ahead. Most are operating in restaurants, but hotels, supermarkets, care homes, snooker clubs and bowling alleys are also experimenting with the technology.

“It has become an apparent trend that hospitality owners enquire [about] bot services to help resolve the hospitality staff shortage,” he said. Guo added that the robots also helped businesses gain publicity on social media when customers took videos and posted them on sites such as TikTok.

7736.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=forma

Big Table Group, which runs 150 restaurants under its various brands, said the test was operating in one outlet and it had not confirmed plans to expand the pilot.

The experiment comes as 10% of hospitality jobs remain unfilled, according to the UKHospitality trade body, as Brexit combined with the pandemic to prompt many European workers, who have played an important role in the UK industry, to leave the UK.

Competition from other sectors – where hours may fit more easily with family life and pay may be more attractive – is also a factor.

 

The shortages have led to wage inflation of 13% across the industry, as businesses try to attract the best staff in areas where there are particular shortages, such as chefs.

Lisa Gibbons, the chief operating officer of Bella Italia, said: “We’re always open to innovative solutions which benefit our teams, improve service and improve our guests’ experience.

“By having intelligent robots conduct simple tasks, such as retrieving dirty dishes, our teams are able to focus on doing what they love and delivering an amazing experience. It’s still early days in the trial, but we’re looking forward to seeing the impact that having an extra pair of ‘paws’ has on dining satisfaction.”

… as you’re joining us today from Belgium, we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million supporters, from 180 countries, now power us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent.

 

Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful.

And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.

If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and sustains our future.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jun/10/uk-restaurant-bella-italia-robot-waiter?ref=biztoc.com&curator=biztoc.comù

 

  • I love it 1
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

WHO WE ARE?

CsBlackDevil Community [www.csblackdevil.com], a virtual world from May 1, 2012, which continues to grow in the gaming world. CSBD has over 70k members in continuous expansion, coming from different parts of the world.

 

 

Important Links