Robots from p 27 obsessed with me too much. I’m busy now.” The robots have become rock stars on social media. Sim Kaur of Buckeye says she drove all the way to Chandler to meet Shiela after seeing it on TikTok. Kristina Sky of Phoenix says she initially spied Kur-B at Kura Sushi on TikTok as well. After seeing it for the first time in person, she says it was “the coolest frickin’ thing ever.” Sugimoto says when they announced Kur-B on social media in June, the post became its most popular ever. “The engagement and positivity was truly over- whelming,” Sugimoto says. Niccolo Iannello of Phoenix, who’s been to Kura Sushi more than 10 times, has taken people to show them the robots. “The first time I went, I did not know about it, and it was a very cool and fun surprise,” he says. Several companies manufacture robots, including Delta Technology in Tempe, which designs, builds, engineers, and employs automation solutions. Though the company hasn’t sold any robot servers yet, Paul Soucek, the company’s director of marketing and new product development, says it’s in the works. “We have a tremendous amount of interest in it, and we do have proposals out,” he says. Though robots are still a marketing tool “to a certain extent,” according to Soucek, he adds that there will be a “quantum shift” toward automated mobile robots as restau- rants continue to have trouble finding people to do menial tasks. “These are positions that, in all honesty, people don’t want to do,” Soucek says. That was the case for Skyler Reeves, owner of The County Seat in Prescott, who bought an automated server in July to solve staffing issues. However, he empha- sized he wasn’t replacing humans. “We’re using robots to do robotic tasks, which hopefully will make the customer service better,” Reeves says. Soucek declined to say how much auto- mated servers cost, but Reeves says based on his research, they generally run $15,000 to $22,000. “We did the math on purchasing it, and that made it a pretty easy decision,” Reeves says. Soucek did say customers of Delta Technologies are looking for a return on investment of about 12 to 24 months. As any new technology becomes more widespread, the cost goes down, he says. “I think we’re going to see that same type of progression in the restaurant industry,” he says. Robots might help restaurants with labor and improve service for patrons, even if the marketing value fades as the novelty dies down. But do they help or hinder human servers when it comes to earning tips? Sugimoto said robots allow staff at Kura Sushi to cover more tables than the industry norm, typically eight to 10 at a time, which naturally translates into more tips. On the other hand, Kanyal, at Chennai, says it hasn’t made much of a difference, adding, “Some people [ joke] they’ll tip the robot.” 29 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES SEPT 1ST–SEPT 7TH, 2022
