Robotic waiter 'Plato' divides small Oregon town: Some restaurant customers recoil, and others ask if they are supposed to tip it
A small town in Oregon is divided after a local restaurant brought in a robotic server, with some customers embracing the strange sight and other recoiling in fear.
Sherry Andrus, who owns The Cazadero restaurant in Estacada, Oregon, recently leased the robot named Plato after struggling to find enough human servers to keep the floor fully staffed, she told Fox News in an interview published Saturday.
Andrus was excited to introduce Plato to customers in a Facebook post in April -- but was surprised when some customers reacted with fear and anger.
'NO THANK YOU,' one person wrote, with another vowing 'I will never go there again' and one asking 'why in earth!?'
In person, the reaction has been less hostile, though Andrus told Fox News that at least one restaurant customer insisted that he did not want the robot near his family, a request she accommodated.
A small town in Oregon is divided after a local restaurant brought in a robotic server, with some customers embracing the strange sight and other recoiling in fear
The reaction was not all negative, however, and some responded to the Facebook post with enthusiasm.
'If it has facial recognition, it can bring me my beer of choice when I sit down. That would be cool,' one person speculated.
'People sure like to complain. Give poor Plato a chance!' another wrote.
Others made lighthearted jokes about 'Skynet,' the malicious artificial intelligence from the Terminator movie series, or kidded that the robot took tips in batteries.
Andrus says that a key misconception is that Plato is replacing human servers. Not so, she said -- the robot will simply allow her overstretched workers to cover more tables promptly by taking over food delivery and bussing away dirty dishes.
'What was so frustrating is the misunderstanding that a AI is replacing people's jobs,' she told Fox. 'The server positions, the bartender positions are still there. This is just a tool to help them do their job better and be more efficient for the guests.'
Many responses on Facebook revolved around tipping, and the restaurant responded by saying that it hoped customers would not skimp on tips for human servers.
'Our servers will be able to provide a better experience because they won't be pulled in a million different directions. It would make me sad if they don't get recognized for their service,' the restaurant said in a reply to a comment.
Developed in Paris and manufactured in Europe, Plato was unveiled by United Robotics Group in November at a restaurant trade show in Orlando
Sherry Andrus, who owns The Cazadero restaurant in Estacada, Oregon, recently leased the robot named Plato after struggling to find enough human servers
The restaurant is in Estacada, a town of about 3,700 about a 45 minute drive outside Portland
Andrus bought The Cazadero in 2018, and since then has contended with rising food and labor costs, including Oregon's minimum wage, which is now $14.20 per hour and does not have exemptions for tipped workers.
She has also struggled with finding workers in Estacada, a town of about 3,700 that is a 45 minute drive outside Portland.
'You already have a small pool to work from,' she said of the labor market. 'That we're out in a rural area makes it even harder.'
Plato is manufactured by United Robotics Group, which calls it the newest generation of service robots or 'cobiots' designed to support humans across multiple industries.
Developed in Paris and manufactured in Europe, Plato was unveiled by the company in November at a restaurant trade show in Orlando.
Plato is an 'autonomous mobile platform' designed to help servers deliver food and drinks and bus tables, while responding to unexpected situations and obstacles, the company says.
'The architecture used in the development of Plato's 'neural engine' is designed for seamless updates adapting to fast-changing environments,' said Xavier Lachérade, Managing Director of Aldebaran Robotics, part of United Robotics Group.
'A complete set-up can be done without any technical knowledge in less than one hour simply by pushing the cobiot manually or remotely configuring it on a tablet, and modifications can be applied with ease.'
Source: Daily Mail
