Hiring a robot waiter can cost you your business
As two restaurants in China close due to inefficient service.
If you've ever whined that employing people means dealing with their personal messes, don't think hiring robots can make your life any better. Two restaurants in China have been forced to close after replacing their flesh-and-bone waitstaff with robots turned out to be a terrible mistake. According to the Worker's Daily (translated by Shanghaiist), the expensive droids were incapable of taking orders, carrying soup or pouring water. That means that a sophisticated artificial intelligence is being outdone by a 17-year-old on minimum wage with their head in a cloud of marijuana smoke.
A few years back, we reported on comments made by Song Yugang, the owner of another robot restaurant. At the time, they said that, compared to living employees, robots "can't get sick or ask for vacation," although as it turns out, they are able to pour drinks. On the upside, it's a lot easier to fire a robot: simply tell them to deliver a takeout order to your nearest car crusher and make sure nobody spots the single tear of oil running down their plastic cheek.
