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A Korean Barbeque restaurant in Boise is putting a futuristic touch on its service.
At Magnificent Garden on Milwaukee St., robots wheel up to customers’ tables to deliver food.
Chris Stewart was dining at the restaurant with his fiance for the all-you-can-eat lunch special. He says a server brought out the initial food but was surprised when a bot zoomed over to deliver additional side dishes.
“It’s really entertaining because you can hear it coming,” Stewart said. “It will say ‘excuse me’ as it cuts around corners and it is very aware of what’s going on. It’s not like a Roomba.”
The robots look like rectangular carts with four vertically stacked serving platters. Once it shows up at the table, customers take their food, then press a button to send the robot on its way, but not before it bids farewell.
“It gives facial expressions and it kind of gave me the side-eye then told me to enjoy my food,” Stewart said. “Then it plays piano music, turns around and leaves. So, you’re sitting there like, what just happened. It’s an experience.”
An employee told BoiseDev Magnificent Garden began using the robots about six months ago and they have a fleet of four. They’re used to deliver banchan, or side dishes, while servers do the rest.
The employee added that the bots have been a great help to the waitstaff and customers seem to enjoy them. Stewart agrees and says the bots alone are worth another trip back to Magnificent Garden.
[Albertsons tries new robot shopping carts, bringing groceries to your house]
“I have a six-year-old daughter who saw the video and who’s now dying for me to take her there just because of that. And then I would definitely say if you’re trying to go out on a first date and flex on a woman, just be like yeah, I got the hook up with the robot,” Stewart joked. “It’s just entertainment and it was pretty cool to see.”
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