A list of where you can find robots serving customers in NZ
The futuristic experience of being waited on by a robot is a novelty many New Zealanders are keen to try. Restaurants all around the world, including major brands like KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut, are taking to the trend of robot waiters. Here in New Zealand, restaurant owners have turned to robot waiters to meet labour shortages heightened by COVID travel restrictions.
Wondering where you can experience robot service for yourself?
Here’s our comprehensive list of New Zealand restaurants with robot waiters.
Auckland
1. Try It Out Vietnamese Restaurants Ōtāhuhu & Burswood
79 Atkinson Avenue, Ōtāhuhu, Auckland & 20L Torrens Road, Burswood, Auckland
Serving fresh Vietnamese cuisine in a casual, family-friendly setting with the BellaBot robot. Loved by children, the BellaBot has adorable cat features and superior human-robot interaction capabilities.
2. Bikenervala Henderson
214 Universal Drive Shop 2, Henderson
Vegetarian restaurant with authentic Indian meals and sweets. Enjoy food delivered by the yellow Kettybot robot who will greet you at your table and play pop music videos.
3. SkyCity Auckland: Andy’s Burger and Bar
Level 2 Corner of Federal & Victoria Street West &, Hobson Street
Burger and bar joint with a fun American diner vibe. Service provided by Catlike BellaBot robots who love a scratch behind the ears… until they tell you they’ve had enough!
4. 108 Tastes
100 Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket
Quality modern Chinese cuisine in a relaxed family atmosphere with Keenon Robotics’ Peanut delivering food and drinks.
Rotorua
5. Cobb & Co – Rotorua
209 Fenton Street Rotorua
New Zealand’s original family restaurant, with kids play area, classic pub food, and 80’s nostalgia. Kids can be seen following the BellaBot Robot around, who will sing Happy Birthday to make your day. Clean-up time? That’s for the Holabot robot who collects dishes at the end of the meal.
Hamilton
6. Sky City Hamilton – Eat Burger and The Local Taphouse
348 Victoria Street, Hamilton Central
Mouth-watering burgers made from fresh local ingredients. Enjoy the fun atmosphere with food and drinks delivered by the BellaBot purring waitress.
Paihia
7. Green’s Thai Cuisine
78 Marsden Road, Paihia
A family-friendly restaurant with Thai cuisine and a full bar. Service provided by the popular catlike BellaBot robot with exceptional interaction skills.
Nelson
8. Chai-Yo Thai Restaurant Richmond
276 Queen Street, Richmond, Tasman
Authentic Thai food in a family-friendly setting. The KettyBot robot ‘Cha Cha’ will serve your table and sing Happy Birthday for your special day.
9. Miracle Asian Restaurant
200 Hardy Street, Nelson
Modern Asian restaurant with Asian décor serving classic Chinese, Thai, and Yum Cha. Come to play with the BellaBot ‘Mira’ robot, who may be in the mood for a scratch behind the ears and birthday celebrations.
Kawakawa
10. Yantra
45 Gillies Street, Kawakawa
This relaxed, family-friendly pizza, burger, and curry house have the welcoming one-eyed Kettybot robot on service.
Blenheim
11. Bamboo Garden Blenheim
31 Maxwell Road, Blenhiem Central
Child-friendly restaurant with Asian décor. Enjoy Chinese, Thai and Japanese meals served by the cute, interactive feline-inspired BellaBot robot.
What to expect at a robot service restaurant
While the human worker would be run off their feet in a busy service, the robot worker can carry 10-15kg of plates on each of their shelves. This frees up human waitstaff to focus on their customers.
The robots follow a mapped-out path around the restaurant. Plates are loaded onto the robot’s trays in the kitchen, and with the press of a button, the robot zips to your table. The robot will indicate which tray to take your food from, and when you’re done, it’ll return to take your plates back to the kitchen. Robots cruise around through the restaurant, making chatter so that you know they’re coming, and if you get in their way, they have a fast-stopping speed (0.5 seconds for the BellaBot) and a warning message.
Time to enjoy a robot dining experience for yourself
If you can’t find a robot restaurant in your area, you may soon. Watch this space and give your favourite restaurant owners a nudge. New Zealanders may even see robot services used in hospitals and aged care in the not-too-distant future.
