24/09/2021

Last year has been a rough road for everyone, especially for the hospitality industry. Initially, restrictions came for dine-in, lockdown happened, then because of the social distancing rules the number of people indoors were restricted. Bars and Restaurants had to cut off their staff, even shut down due to losses in their business.

Now as the situation is getting better, the hospitality industry is expecting to overcome their loss and get back to their business but are having difficulty hiring enough staff. So as of now, some bars and restaurants are relying on automation as a solution to the shortage of staff.

According to a report by Allied Market Research - The hospitality robots market size was valued at $295.5 million in 2020, and is estimated to reach $3,083 by 2030, registering a CAGR  ( Compound Annual Growth Rate ) of 25.5% from 2021 to 2030. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of robots and hence many restaurants have been renting robots as waiters. Robots can’t get sick or spread diseases, so they are safe and reliable.

Espartaco Borga, owner of La Duni in Dallas, told CNN the robots welcome guests and take food to tables. They can also laugh and sing "Happy Birthday”, using the robots was a "no-brainer" to fill the gaps in his workforce, he said.

A California Arby's drive-thru installed a voice-assistant robot to take orders, and the owner redistributed workers to the kitchen due to a lack of staff, AP news reported.

Carlos Gazitua, CEO of Sergio's Restaurants, told NBC Miami - "We’ve been struggling to find labor, everyone is in the entire market, not just restaurants. And we had to see what we could do fishing from the same pond. Robots became a solution.” Gazitua found his robot worker at Bear Robotics, a startup that offers “Servi,” a robot that’s taken three years to develop. With the push of a button, Servi can autonomously deliver food and drinks to tables and kitchens.

Advancement in technologies has given a ray of hope and created multiple opportunities for the hospitality industry to enhance their guests’ overall experience and make their work easier. Many would think that robots simply might replace humans but that’s not the case, as to operate them, give them instructions on what to do next, humans will be needed to work hand-in-hand to help the machine and not vice versa.