Who’s Up For Robot Waiters?

The fight for $15 crowd, which is now advocating for over $20 an hour, should be proud of their work in making sure fewer and fewer jobs are available. We’ve already seen more and more self-ordering screens at restaurants and grocery stores, more of cooking the food be automated, and more of pushing consumers to order online/with an app and pay at the same time. All this reduces the need for all those workers. And now

Are robot waiters the future? Some restaurants think so

You may have already seen them in restaurants: waist-high machines that can greet guests, lead them to their tables, deliver food and drinks and ferry dirty dishes to the kitchen. Some have cat-like faces and even purr when you scratch their heads.

But are robot waiters the future? It’s a question the restaurant industry is increasingly trying to answer.

Many think robot waiters are the solution to the industry’s labor shortages. Sales of them have been growing rapidly in recent years, with tens of thousands now gliding through dining rooms worldwide.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that this is where the world is going,” said Dennis Reynolds, dean of the Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership at the University of Houston. The school’s restaurant began using a robot in December, and Reynolds says it has eased the workload for human staff and made service more efficient.

But others say robot waiters aren’t much more than a gimmick that have a long way to go before they can replace humans. They can’t take orders, and many restaurants have steps, outdoor patios and other physical challenges they can’t adapt to.

But, those orders can be taken on touchscreens at the tables, which is not new. The restaurants will adapt their layouts for the robots. Who’s initial outlay could be expensive, but, the lifetime cost will be less. Plus, they don’t complain, they don’t show up late, they do not call out sick, they don’t talk back to customers, management, or cause Drama. They do not need health care or vacation time. All they need is some maintenance.

Still, the robots are proliferating. Redwood City, California-based Bear Robotics introduced its Servi robot in 2021 and expects to have 10,000 deployed by the end of this year in 44 U.S. states and overseas. Shenzen, China-based Pudu Robotics, which was founded in 2016, has deployed more than 56,000 robots worldwide.

Well, they can’t say that they weren’t told this would happen. When you continually increase labor costs for general labor work. Eventually it becomes cost effective to just replace you. Especially as technology has caught up. General labor workers need to learn a skill, and become skilled labor. All those low skilled folks will find themselves going from $15 to $0.

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14 Responses to “Who’s Up For Robot Waiters?”

  1. Professor Hale says:

    Robot cooks will need knives and flame projectors. What could go wrong?

  2. H says:

    Lol
    Teach unemployment fell again this month to 3.5%
    There are 11million jobs that need workers
    Tools of all types have reduced the workload of humans reducing labor needs/costs while raising our standard if living I hope this continues.
    In North Carolina the minimum pay for tipped workers is $2.13. the combined wage tips plus hourly wage must equal $7.25.
    Remember Teach a rising tide floats all boats.
    An 18yo living at home making $15 per hour ,$600 perweek can buy a new Honda in one year, a Tesla in 2.
    Both will help him get laid

  3. Elwood P. Dowd says:

    For the likes of Teach, the answer is low wages, no vacation, no sick leave etc. Only then when will servers be worthwhile. No matter how little you pay the slaves, they’ll eventually be replaced by robots.

    Lawn care companies now tout leasing robot mowers! WalMart and other stores already have robot checkers.

    Just like WalMart before it, Amazon et al and the internet are putting mom and pop main street stores out of business. Giant agribusinesses are squelching the small farm.

    Commissioned sales people are on the way out. You can buy insurance and cars online.

    The times they are a changin’.

  4. H says:

    Wheels put to many workers out if work.

  5. UnkleC says:

    Interesting to watch the lefties squirm and complain when what they asked for is delivered and the results predicted by the righties are correct.
    When they wanted $15/hr it was predicted that that would lead to higher prices, reduced staffing and fewer entry level jobs. Here it is, and now they want $20/hr. The robots are often more efficient and cheaper than an entry level employee. In fast food and some casual dining operations, robots are quite suitable for many tasks previously staffed with entry level employees. Probably not suitable for most upscale and fine dining operations [yet].
    Times are changing and have been for a while. In the ’60’s and ’70’s computer spreadsheets were new and there was a learning curve. Now, every bean counter has one and will use it. It’s up to the management and the customer base to decide where this is going.

  6. Elwood P. Dowd says:

    Mr Teach: The fight for $15 crowd, which is now advocating for over $20 an hour, should be proud of their work in making sure fewer and fewer jobs are available.

    Yet, unemployment is near record lows and businesses are crying for employees. $20/hr is about $41,000/hr gross. Maybe a go-getter will work 80 hr/wk and double their money, but their child care costs would soar!

    Anyway, the national average U.S. income in 2021 was $97,962/adult. The median U.S. income in 2021 was $69,717/adult. This tells us the economy generates sufficient income for every American adult!! The average income of a 2 working adult families is nearly $200,000!!

    No one imagines that every person adds equally to the overall economy. Not everyone can be a neurosurgeon, entertainment agent, movie star, rapper, salesman, college football coach, NBA shooting guard or pharma exec, all who deserve to make millions!! On the other hand, anyone can be a plumber, school teacher, soldier, cook/chef, roofer, scientist, auto mechanic, fire fighter, IT tech, carpenter, social worker, police officer, garbage man or night clerk.

    What happens to a society and economy where automatons replace all the workers? Do we reach the point where all we have is the magisterial class running the machines and the criminal class trying to steal ‘stuff’ from rich folks?

    But imagine a system where the wealthier invest a portion of their incomes to build roads, airports, rail systems, healthcare, schools, teachers, police, defense, basic income for the less fortunate, old age pensions… overall similar to nations like Finland, Norway and Sweden.

    __________________________________________________________

    • drowningpuppies says:

      Again Rimjob proves he doesn’t really quite understand the current economic situation.

      #Bidenflation
      #LetsGoBrandon
      Bwaha! Lolgf https://www.thepiratescove.us/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_cool.gif

      • david7134 says:

        Yea, US credit is falling, and if the dollar loses it status we move from recession to depression.

        • drowningpuppies says:

          For the economic illiterate amongst us.

          Most recently, the job market appears to be faltering, with March gains pegged at 236,000, way down from February’s 311,000 and the 334,000 recorded on average over the past six months.
          *****
          ….inflation has caused real wages to decline for two years in a row; writing last fall, the Dallas Fed noted that the hit from inflation was “the most severe faced by employed workers over the past 25 years.”

          https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/3939238-as-recession-looms-who-will-biden-blame/

          #HeckuvaJobJoey
          #LetsGoBrandon
          Bwaha! Lolgf https://www.thepiratescove.us/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_cool.gif

  7. Jl says:

    Actually, the wealthier here already do those things, as the US has one of the most progressive tax systems in the free world.
    It’s funny to hear liberals complain about the same things over and over that aren’t true. Johnny, well we expect it from him…We actually do it much better than Finland, Norway and Sweden

  8. H says:

    Drudge is reporting record number of Americans employed 160 million
    Jl can you cite a source
    Great claims require great proof.

  9. H says:

    There are currently 11 million job openings
    Plenty of work for everybody
    Undocumented construction workers in DC demanding and getting 20$ per hour

  10. Jl says:

    The article, as happens many times here, won’t copy and paste. (Anyone know why?)
    Anyway, it’s from bls.gov. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Civilian labor force participation rate

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