2812 E. Thomas Rd. Phoenix 602-224-5464 | longwongs28st.com Geri Koeppel | CHOW BELLA | t Café Robots to the Rescue Automated servers are helping restaurants in the Valley deal with staffing struggles. BY GERI KOEPPEL a major labor shortage. Now, robots with tiers of trays that A deliver food and drinks are starting to fill the gap. The cute, talking, rolling auto- mated servers assist with marketing as well, in mass media, social media, and even old-fashioned word-of-mouth. From dim sum spots in New York City using robots with kitty faces to Chili’s enlisting “Rita” the robot in more than 50 stores nationwide, including Bullhead City, Lake Havasu, and Kingman, the trend is picking up steam. Robots use light-detecting radar to navigate tables and avoid obstacles, rarely making an error and never calling in sick. They can be found here in the Valley at Kura Sushi, a revolving grab-your-own-roll chain out of Japan with locations in Chandler and Phoenix, and Chennai Fusion Grill, an independent Indian restaurant in Chandler. “Kur-B” at Kura Sushi speaks, plays sing-song music and delivers water and soft drinks. They are a talking point for nyone who owns a restau- rant, works at a restaurant, or has eaten at a restaurant in the past couple of years knows that the industry has Joty Kaur of Litchfield Park lifts her dish from Shiela, the robot server at Chennai Fusion Grill in Chandler. customers, some of whom come specifi- cally to see them, according to Chandler manager Christy Nguyen. “They video the robots. They take pictures with the robots. They talk to them, saying, ‘thank you,’ saying ‘hi,’” she says. “And the children that come in with their parents, they get very excited over the robots.” The company began researching robots prior to the pandemic as part of its culture of implementing new technology and providing “eatertainment” to guests, says Hideto Sugimoto, director of system and menu development for Kura Sushi USA. The chain introduced the robots, which are manufactured by Pudu Robotics in China, this summer in its 37 U.S. locations. Hajime “Jimmy” Uba, the CEO of Kura Sushi, tells industry publication Restaurant Dive that robots help keep staffing levels at about 95 percent. “They help us a lot to focus on customer interactions,” Nguyen says. “It gives the servers more of a chance to talk to the guests.” Or just the opposite. A couple of Gen Z customers admitted that not having to interact with another human was a plus. They dislike having to flag down servers, wait for them, and have them hover over them interrupting their meal. The robots deliver quickly and don’t stand around trying to chit-chat. On a similar note, the owner of Chennai bought Shiela about a year ago to reduce face time to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, manager Nick Kanyal says. Shiela delivers plates of samosas, curry, and dosa, and, like Kur-B, the squat, chirpy machine became an attraction. “Lots of customers, they tell us they came to see the Shiela,” Kanyal says. “Your meal is ready. Please take it away,” Shiela says arriving at a table. And the robot can even be a little sassy. If someone blocks its way, it might say, “Don’t be >> p 29 27 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES SEPT 1ST–SEPT 7TH, 2022
