A seafood restaurant in Newark, Delaware, U.S.A., is differentiating itself by having robots serve customers.
In late June, Robot Captain Crabs Cajun Seafood & Bar added five robots to its staff. The robots, which include two hostesses and three servers, cost USD 20,000 (EUR 17,800) a piece and were imported from China, The Washington Post reported.
Owner Guang Chen initially spotted similar robots working in restaurants in China, according to the article. After being greeted by a human host, the party is registered in a computer that monitors open tables. Once a table opens up, a robotic hostess introduces herself to customers in a female-sounding voice before escorting them to their table, The Washington Post said.
Human servers take orders using a computerized system that alerts the kitchen and when the orders are ready, the plates are delivered via the robotic servers on wheels. After a human server places the meals in front of a customer, the robot says, "Please enjoy your meal," and returns to the kitchen.
The robots certainly help Robot Captain Crabs differentiate itself from other eateries in the area. In addition, its menu is expansive, specializing in seafood boils in which customers can choose from shrimp, crawfish, king crab, mussels, and clams. It also offers a baskets (which include seafood and French fries) of catfish, soft shell crab, oysters, and shrimp, and a variety of appetizers and soups.
Chen said that some customers worry that the robots are taking jobs from humans, but John Soysal, general manager, said the machines work in conjunction with the restaurant’s human staff and are well-received.
“The kids love the robots and most customers are amused by them,” Soysal told The Washington Post. “They take selfies with it because it’s a really different concept.”
