The robots on duty today at this new restaurant in Nairobi are called Nadia and Claire.
They have become a local sensation as they smoothly glide between tables to deliver orders in the two-month-old establishment.
“At times we get really busy. More so on weekends. So when the house is packed, we have ten waiters on the floor and three robots. So these robots are our colleagues, they have names, they help us with the service and their service is perfect,” says waitress Gladys Guda.
Customers access the menu by scanning a QR code at the table and place their order online. Once the food is ready, a bell rings to alert a human waiter who places it on a robot’s tray.
The robots then deliver the food to a table after a few commands are keyed in on an iPad.
After a long day’s shift, the robots are charged overnight. They are controlled via a central command centre that contains specialized software.
The use of robotic waiters in restaurants is not new; they have been in use in China, Japan and the United States among others. However, this is a novel experience for many in East Africa.
The restaurant has been making waves in recent weeks and the robot staff have been met with a lot of enthusiasm.
“I can say it is something unique because here in our country, Kenya, I have never seen a restaurant like this one, so I think for me, it’s a good idea from the owner of this restaurant,” says diner, Packson Chege.
But the introduction of the robots in Kenya has triggered concerns about job displacement, especially in the hospitality industry that employs many people in Kenya.
Manager John Kariuki is quick to dispel any worries, citing that the robots are purely for entertainment.
“At no point are the robots able to fully function in all the services and everything that are supposed to be ongoing in the restaurant without the human touch,” he says.
“The robots are actually way too expensive for us to acquire, so if you are trying to save money it is not going to work if you choose to go the robotic way. But we believe that customers deserve to have the technology that is also available in developed countries so that they also experience a few things that are not available in the country. So we incorporated the robots basically for entertainment because that is what our target customers want.”
While the success of the Robot Cafe may well kick start a new trend in Kenya, Edith Ojwang, an independent hospitality industry consultant, offers reassurance.
“The hospitality industry is very diverse. We have clients who will prefer robotic service and full automation while we also have clients who will prefer human service, the human touch and warmth that comes with human service so it is not entirely a threat to human labour because of the diverse nature of the hospitality client base,” she says.