While we might think of robots as some future technology that we are not quite ready to embrace yet, many restaurants are finding that robots are able to save them money by taking the place of some of their human workers. The restaurant workforce is leaving in droves, many of them trying to find higher paying jobs. This is leaving an empty hole in the industry that smaller, independent restaurants are having trouble filling.
Navia Robotics may have a solution to the labor shortage problem, supplying sophisticated robots that can perform simple tasks like carrying trays, helping customers to their tables, and even assisting with birthday celebrations. The robots have been equipped with sensors that allow them to navigate busy restaurants with ease, and they can move right next to the kitchen counters and dining room tables without bumping into anything.
These robots are great at transporting hot or heavy items easily, and that helps restaurants cut down on safety issues and healthcare costs. The robots can also benefit restaurants by replacing wage workers, so business owners can reduce their overheads, and still serve the same number of customers as they would with human workers.
How cost effective are these robot servers? The price for three robots is equivalent to what restaurants will be paying a single worker for a year, after the new California wage laws come into effect. That law requires a minimum hourly wage of $22, which many smaller restaurants will have difficulty affording. That is why the robot waiters can seem like such an attractive alternative.
The most popular of the Navia Robotics products is the Bellabot. This robot is cable of transporting four trays at once and moving easily with up to 90 pounds of foods and beverages on those trays. That allows this particular robot to do the work of about three human workers, and it is robots like Bellabot that are making these techno-marvels so cost effective and efficient.
Navia’s robots are performing very well in the restaurants they have been implemented at. The feedback from customers, employees, and business owners has been incredibly positive. Just having reliable and efficient robot workers performing simple tasks can be a huge money saver for businesses. They will no long have to pay as many wage workers during the slow hours, if a robot can handle the work. Plus, the robots only have a one-time upfront cost (plus minor maintenance fees), and that can make them incredibly economical in these times of extreme inflation.
Peter Kim, the CTO for Navia Robotics, says his robots are the future for restaurants, and his company is ready to help restaurants integrate them into their workforce right now.
