Denny's
A robot brings food to a table in the Hybla Valley Denny's restaurant.
A handful of Denny's restaurants nationwide, including one in the Alexandria area, has hired robots.
The servers on wheels can be deployed from the kitchen to deliver food to guests. Staff at the Denny's at 7214 Richmond Hwy. said customers — especially children — like it, and a server said she didn't mind the extra help.
A human server still takes food orders from guests, serves and refills drinks and takes mid-meal requests for more ketchup — but, yes, you should still leave a tip even if a robot physically brings food to your table. (In some cases, the server will also help move the food from robot to table.)
Denny's corporate headquarters started the experiment as the restaurant chain, like millions of others nationwide, faces staffing shortages and seeks ways to keep employees safe from COVID-19 by reducing customer interaction. Keeping employees healthy is an added benefit brought on by the pandemic. The company behind the robots was founded in 2017 — long before COVID-19 was in our vocabulary.
The robots at Denny's are made by Bear Robotics and are called Servi. Bear Robotics specializes in hospitality robots and works with restaurants, hotels, sports arenas and senior living facilities. Bear Robotics has facilities in California and Texas, and the company was founded in 2017 by veterans of the technology and restaurant industries. According to the company, "By automating the extra work, it’s our promise that you’ll see lower turnover, less errors, better reviews and return customers."
The Takeout, a restaurant industry newsletter that has been covering the robot revolution, reported, "When servers don’t have to take care of menial tasks, they can pay more attention to their guests and cover more tables. From the consumer’s perspective, food arrives when it’s hot and fresh."
Watch the robot in action below from a video taken by a Denny's server:
