- A labor shortage restaurant in Dallas rents robots for $ 15 a day each, CNN reported.
- The robots can greet guests, bring food to tables and sing, the restaurant owner said.
- The employees were previously “overwhelmed, overworked and frustrated,” he said.
Loading Something is loading.
A Latin American restaurant in Texas hires robots for $ 15 a day each to serve diners while struggling to find staff, CNN first reported Wednesday.
Espartaco Borga, owner of La Duni in Dallas, told CNN that the robots welcome guests and bring food to the tables. You can also laugh and sing “Happy Birthday,” he said.
Using the robots is “a breeze” to fill the gaps in his workforce, he said. The employees were previously “overwhelmed, overworked and frustrated,” he said.
The robots did not replace staff in the restaurant, he told CNN.
Borga told Insider that the restaurant leased three robots for 48 months: Panchita, the food runner; Alexcita, the drink runner; and Coqueta, the host assistant.
The robots can start working after an initial 90-minute setup, while a human needs a week or two of training, Borga told Insider. “That makes a lot of financial sense,” he says.
Borga told CNN that the money he saves on the robots helps him pay his employees more when they work fewer hours.
Borga said he leased the robots from American Robotech out of Texas. Insider contacted American Robotech for comment but did not hear an immediate response.
Customers have returned to the restaurant after a pandemic slump and during the Texas winter storm, Borga told CNN – but some employees have not returned.
“The only part that did not come back was the staff,” said Borga in an interview.
“Suddenly, with a third of the workforce, we had 50 to 100% more business than before Covid. Everyone was overwhelmed, overworked and frustrated, both customers and employees, “he told CNN.
Restaurants in the US are suffering from a severe labor shortage.
A California Arby’s drive-thru installed a voice assistant to take orders and the owner redistributed workers to the kitchen due to staff shortages, AP reported.
A Michigan restaurant owner relies on friends to pick up her shifts because she doesn’t have enough staff, local news site WSBT reported.
[ad_1]
