Usually new hires don’t make the news, but a new waiter at a Dunwoody restaurant is grabbing customers’ attention.
For one, the employee lacks arms, legs and a face. But it makes up for that with efficiency, novelty and futuristic technology.
Tastee Spoon, a Caribbean restaurant in Dunwoody’s Perimeter Village, unveiled a Matradee robotic waiter in a Facebook video produced by the City of Dunwoody. The robot, named Irie Milly after the owner’s mother, is able to navigate the restaurant and wait tables by itself.
“It reads the map in the ceiling, so all of the tables are strategically placed and the robot stops at certain places,” Raymone Williams, the restaurant’s owner, said in the video. “It can serve up to 12 plates at a time.”
Commenters on the video, which has more than 1,500 views so far, were mostly in awe of the robot. Some celebrated that they wouldn’t have to tip wait staff, while a few comments worried it could lead to job losses.
One comment from Jen O’Pry said, “Not a fan of this. It will be a sad day when there is no more need for servers. I waited tables and bartended for years.” Williams said her robot employee hasn’t replaced any humans and has helped lighten the workload for her current workers.
“It’s a great addition to our environment here,” Williams said.
Created by Austin, Texas,-based Richtech Robotics, the robot waiters have become more prevalent over the past few years, especially in light of the workforce shortage prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tastee Spoon isn’t the first metro Atlanta restaurant to bring state-of-the-art technology to its wait staff. Big Bang Pizza in Brookhaven has employed robots to the intrigue of diners since 2019.
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