Restaurants to fight labor shortage with robots

By Dwight Casimere

With the easing of COVID restrictions and the reemergence of in house dining, the restaurant industry is finding ways to fight its most formidable obstacle, the lack of personnel to staff key in-house positions.

Lack of wait staff, cooks and other line personnel is the buzz on everyone’s lips at the show, even as they present new products and services to restaurant owners, hotel operators and buyers, who have waited for the association’s first in-person show in more than two years.

AUTEC previewed their new robot called ASM260A. The new robot efficiently cuts sushi rolls using an elegant, simple design that allows it to cut four hosomaki rolls at a time using a unique internal cutting unit that mimics the delicate motions of a sushi chef’s knife. The new Maki Cutter is slated for release this summer.

Segway Robotics, the global leader in micro mobility and robotics technologies debuted its indoor delivery robot. Designed specifically for restaurants and other hospitality setting, the technology provides touch-free delivery of food and drinks.

Given the severe labor shortage, restaurant owners are showing a lot of interest. Indoor robots can serve meals and drinks, collect plates, meet and greet customers, all while navigating the restaurant environment autonomously. There’s even talk of a self-ordering application for robots that will allow the customer to order food and pay the bill without delay in the restaurant.

The technology was first used during the Winter Olympics and was introduced to the U.S. for the first time at the 2022 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.