In an elegant suburb of Nairobi, a new culinary experience is attracting crowds: the Robot Cafe, the first of its kind in East Africa, where robots assist the staff.
The robots currently in service at this innovative restaurant are named Nadia and Claire. Since opening two months ago, this café has become a real local attraction thanks to these mechanical assistants that glide between the tables to deliver orders.
“Sometimes we get really busy, especially on weekends. When the place is full, we have ten servers on the floor and three robots. These robots are our colleagues, they have names, they help us with the service, and their service is perfect ,” explains Gladys Guda, a waitress at the Robot Cafe.
Customers access the menu by scanning a QR code at their table and place their orders online. Once the dishes are ready, a human server places them on a robot's tray, which then delivers them to the table after a few orders are placed on an iPad. The robots are recharged overnight and controlled via a specialized command center.
While the use of robot waiters is not new in China, Japan, or the United States, it represents a first for many in East Africa. The restaurant quickly generated considerable enthusiasm.
"I can say that this is something unique because here in our country, Kenya, I have never seen a restaurant like this. So, I think it's a good idea on the part of the owner of this restaurant ," says Packson Chege, a customer of the cafe.
The introduction of robots has, however, raised concerns about job losses, particularly in the hotel sector, which is key to the Kenyan economy.
John Kariuki, manager of the Robot Cafe, wants to reassure everyone.
“At no point can robots fully perform all the services and tasks that need to be carried out in the restaurant without human intervention,” he explains. “Robots are actually too expensive for us to acquire on a large scale. But we believe that customers deserve access to the technology available in developed countries. So we integrated robots primarily for entertainment, because that’s what our customers are looking for.”
Although the Robot Cafe initiative may be starting a new trend in Kenya, Edith Ojwang, an independent consultant in the hospitality industry, points out the diversity of service needs.
“The hotel industry is very diverse. We have clients who prefer robotic service and complete automation, while others prioritize human contact. Therefore, it is not a total threat to the human workforce, due to the diversity of preferences in the hotel industry,” she concludes.
