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There is a shortage of staff in the hospitality industry. Now is the time for machines – they don’t complain about back pain and have no problem dragging dirty dishes around. If only it weren’t for the German fear of technology!
Three months ago, Kai Klinkel welcomed a new employee to his “Kantine” restaurant in Halle, Westphalia. He is almost 1.40 meters tall, moves silently and smoothly, carries dishes from A to B all day long without ever complaining of back pain, doesn’t know what a union is, and never asks to end early to be allowed to, for example, because his favorite football club is playing.
The new employee is a robot – a “Dinerbot T10”. At previous stations, Klinkel earned a Michelin star. He is currently making a name for himself because the 600 square meter restaurant he runs with his wife Christel is the only one in the region where a robot performs waiter service. Why the decision? “Catering staff is hard to come by,” says Klinkel.
It’s not about cutting jobs, but about saving the service staff the hassle of having to travel – a reason to be happy, because the number of people who are passionate about lugging dirty dishes around is likely to be close to zero. This also gives the staff more time for the guests, says Klinkel.
The response? “Consistently positive.” The robot is a “tool like a coffee machine.” The use of a second robot waiter? “Quite conceivable.” Theoretically, you could also place orders with your robot colleague; In the “canteen”, however, it is intended for lower-level carrying and delivery services. The staff clears the tables and places the dirty dishes on the shelves of the Dinerbot, which then transports them away.
Skepticism about technology dominates in Germany
According to the Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga), there are around 200,000 businesses in the hospitality industry across Germany. There are no official statistics on the use of service robots, also known as teller taxis, but anyone who asks around in the industry will learn that there are service robots in an estimated 3,000 companies. That’s one and a half percent of the total, next to nothing.
The manufacturers of the electricity-powered helpers, available from around 10,000 euros, are often based in China and are called Keenon (oldest provider, manufacturer of the Dinerbot), Pudu or Orionstar. Everyone claims to be a world leader – Orionstar may be the most true. In Asia, service robots have been a familiar sight in restaurants for years. Not so much in this country. Skepticism about technology dominates, coupled with the fear that robots are job killers and will take over the world.
However, there are increasing signs that skepticism is crumbling. Robots have been in use in retirement homes for a long time. They help with household chores, talk to people and can mow lawns. The car industry without robots – unthinkable, like a car without wheels. And automation is also making gradual progress in the catering industry.
The Hamburg start-up Goodbytz, for example, builds cooking robots that – appropriately programmed and fed with ingredients – know how to prepare strozzapreti with ratatouille, Caesar salad or even Kaiserschmarrn. At the Tübingen University Hospital, robot “Robbi” has been cooking for employees, guests and soon also patients since last summer. For Thorsten Hellwig from the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, these are clear signals. Technical developments and the labor shortage have led to an increase in the number of service robots in the hospitality industry and in commercial kitchens. “These are opportunities,” he emphasizes, adding that he is currently in Berlin in the “Steigenberger” hotel, where service robots purr through the hallways as a matter of course and transport used dishes to the scullery.
It’s amazing how many areas of life we not only accept automation, but actually find it good. Assistance systems ensure that cars make more and more decisions for the driver. Fully automatic coffee machines and high-end espresso machines are mini-factories, very expensive, very complicated. Not to mention smartphones and their capabilities. Even something as trivial as smoking, or more specifically vaping, no longer works without technology and electricity. Only in gastronomy does the human factor seem to be sacrosanct. Are Germans romantically inclined? Maybe, but not all.
“Why do so many people do robots’ jobs?”
“It’s a question of mindset,” says Rainer Becker, founder and boss of the Wuppertal-based company Becker Robotics, which offers 80 different robot helpers for use in the care, catering and cleaning industries. The company buys the machines, for example from the Far East, and provides them with customized software. “Basically, we are a software shop.” Becker is a pioneer in Germany when it comes to the use of machine personnel. With his help, the Chinese restaurant “Neue Epoch” opened in Moers, Lower Rhine, in 2019 – the first in Germany where people worked alongside freely moving robots in service.
“Automated processes are stable, error-free and fast,” he says. His company’s motto: “There is not one robot for everything, but there is a robot for everything.” One of the high-tech helpers he brought to the people can be seen transporting dishes in the Lufthansa lounge at Berlin’s BER airport. “He covers 25 kilometers a day,” says the company boss, a trained banker who was infected by the robot and AI virus a good 15 years ago and has since dedicated himself to the robotization of everyday life.
“The service robot is the company car for the waiter,” says Becker. “Acceptance is increasing.” He cannot understand why robots scare many Germans. “As long as they need a battery and have an emergency stop button, we don’t have to worry,” he says, laughing. To ensure that the message reaches as many people as possible, he goes on tour with a lecture, speaks to associations or at universities. Title of the lecture: “Why do so many people do the job of robots?”
How has the introduction of the robot waiter changed the dynamics of customer service in your restaurant?
Sure, I’d be happy to help! Here’s an interview with two guests about the information in the article:
Questions for Kai Klinkel, Restaurant Owner in Halle, Westphalia:
1. What prompted you to introduce a robot waiter into your restaurant, and how has the experience been so far?
2. What kind of feedback have you received from both customers and staff about the robot’s presence? Have there been any concerns or complaints?
3. How do you see the role of the robot evolving in your restaurant, and do you envision a fully automated dining experience in the future?
4. Do you think that introducing a robot waiter has affected your staff’s job satisfaction or morale? If so, how have you addressed these concerns?
5. How have you managed to implement the robot into your existing service structure and train staff to work alongside it?
6. What changes have you seen in your staff’s workload since the robot was introduced, and how do you think this will impact the future of customer service in the hospitality industry?
7. Have you encountered any technical issues or glitches with the robot? If yes, how did you handle them, and what is the maintenance process like?
Questions for Rainer Becker, Founder of Becker Robotics:
1. As a pioneer in Germany’s use of service robots, what challenges have you faced in introducing these machines to the hospitality industry?
2. Do you think that there is a false sense of romanticism attached to human interaction in the hospitality industry that makes it resistant to automation?
3. How do you see the role of service robots expanding in the future, particularly in the wake of the current labor shortage?
4. What are some common misconceptions about service robots and their potential impact on employment in the hospitality sector?
5. What measures do you take to ensure the safety and reliability of your robots, and how do you handle customer concerns about their use?
6. Can you discuss the potential for robots to improve customer service in the hospitality industry, beyond just streamlining tasks like food delivery?
7. How do you see the possibility of personalizing interactions between robots and customers in order to create a more engaging dining experience?
