Is the robot food delivery "unmanned restaurant" a trend or a gimmick?

When you are hungry on the highway, you can go to the highway service area to eat. The cute robot will deliver the food to you. Are you looking forward to this experience? Recently, the reporter learned from Chongqing Tiefa Suiyu Expressway Co., Ltd. that the latest second-generation food delivery robot "Amy" has entered the "unmanned restaurant" of the Dalu Service Area of Yu-Su Expressway to provide intelligent services for drivers and passengers on the road. This is also one of the first "unmanned restaurants" launched by Chongqing Expressway Service Area.

Robot delivering food. Photo provided by Chongqing Tiefa Suiyu Expressway Co., Ltd.

The second-generation food delivery robot moves flexibly without relying on tracks

"Hello, welcome to Dalu Service Area..." Entering the restaurant of Dalu Service Area of Yu-Su Expressway, the cute waiter robot Amy stood at the door and greeted the passengers warmly. Amy is 155 cm tall and weighs 40 kg. There is a display screen on Amy's face, and a smiling emoticon will be displayed on her face when she greets the passengers.

The relevant person in charge of Dalu Service Area of Yu-Su Expressway said that Amy is the latest second-generation food delivery robot. Unlike the first-generation food delivery robot, he has a GPS autonomous navigation system and no longer relies on fixed tracks to move forward. He carries a powerful radar sensing system on his body. "If he encounters pedestrians or obstacles such as suitcases and barrels on the way to deliver food, he can stop in time for intelligent judgment and avoid them in time." The person in charge said that Amy is very smart. He can not only flexibly avoid obstacles, but also issue voice reminders such as "please make way" to deliver food steadily to the guests.

"Previously, the delivery robots had to lay tracks on the ground, and the robots could only walk on the tracks." The person in charge said that the tracks on the ground were not only unsightly, but also affected the customers' walking. The upgraded second-generation delivery robots solved this problem well, completing the path planning through computers, and were more flexible.

Smart dining tables can order food

Play games, read news, and buy local specialties

Tabletop ordering

In the "unmanned restaurant" in the service area, passengers were guided by Amy to enter the restaurant and sit down. The reporter saw that the tables in the restaurant looked ordinary, with square long tables, black tabletops and white table legs, but this table also has its own intelligent ordering system. The black tabletop has a touch screen. Select the "order" section to see the electronic menu with pictures and texts. Bishan Laifeng fish, farmer's fried meat, mapo tofu and other special home-cooked dishes are all available. Customers only need to click with their fingers to add their favorite food to the "shopping cart".

If customers have special needs such as no MSG or less chili, Amy can also do it. After ordering, customers can write their personal preferences in the remarks column, which will be displayed on the backstage receipt. Compared with the traditional way of ordering by looking at the name of the dish, the display of real pictures will also be more intuitive.

According to reports, this system supports cashless online banking payments such as WeChat, Alipay, and online banking. Once the payment is completed, Amy will quickly deliver the food to the customer and playfully remind the customer, "Hello! Your order is here."

While waiting for the meal, customers will not be lonely, because the smart table can also be transformed into a game console and a tour guide. Customers can not only play games and read news on the smart table, but also check weather, road conditions and other information. It is worth mentioning that the smart table's ordering system also has a "takeaway" platform, and you can also buy authentic local specialties and enjoy direct home delivery services.

Building a "smart" service area

Voice ordering will be introduced in the future

In the Dalu service area, many passengers who come to dine took out their mobile phones and took photos with the robot Amy. "It's very rare and very convenient." said the passengers who came to dine. "Amy is now a little star in the service area, attracting many passengers to dine in the restaurant and bringing a better experience to passengers." The person in charge of the Dalu Service Area said that the intelligent ordering system, intelligent dining table, and food delivery robot in the "unmanned restaurant" cost 50,000 to 60,000 yuan to introduce the whole set. Self-service ordering and delivery also saved the restaurant about two laborers.

According to the relevant person in charge of Chongqing Tiefa Suiyu Expressway Co., Ltd., the first batch of "unmanned restaurants" launched by Chongqing Expressway Service Area include Wulong and Dalu Service Areas. The introduction of "unmanned restaurants" not only liberates productivity and controls operating costs, but is also an important measure for Dalu Service Area to actively explore the construction of smart service areas. The next step will be to introduce voice ordering function on the smart dining table. Customers only need to say their ordering needs, which will be more convenient. At the same time, Dalu Service Area will continue to optimize intelligent construction to provide passengers with a better and more convenient "service area +" travel experience.

Reaction

Is "unmanned restaurant" a trend or a gimmick?

Consumers have different views

From new retail, new consumption to unmanned restaurants, the concept of "unmanned" can always attract a lot of industry attention and consumer experience. As a traditional service industry, the catering industry has moved from the service card to the technology card of human-computer interaction. How is the consumer experience? Is it a trend or a gimmick?

Scan the QR code on the table to order and place an order. Compared with the "unmanned restaurant", the self-service ordering consumption method is no longer rare. The reporter learned that many restaurants now adopt the method of scanning code to order food. Citizens only need to use their mobile phones to scan the QR code on the desktop to place an order by themselves. In a western restaurant in Longhu Yuanzhu Tianjie, Jiangbei District, the reporter scanned the QR code on the table, and the store link popped up. After opening it, you can choose your favorite steak and dishes, and choose the preparation method and side dishes in the relevant columns. After the customer submits the order, the restaurant staff will receive the order and start making it. After a few minutes, the selected meal will be served on the table.

"Most customers are willing to try the new way of ordering by self-service ordering. There are also some customers who don't know how to order food on WeChat. At this time, we will take the traditional menu to recommend it to them." The restaurant waiter told reporters that some older customers prefer to order food from paper menus. "We still like to order from the menu." Ms. Li, a resident living near the mall, said that the waiter helps to order food and can answer questions immediately. She is also worried about consumer safety issues when scanning the QR code.

"The pictures of all the dishes on the electronic menu are very complete, and there is plenty of time to choose and order." Ms. Wang, who is ordering food in the restaurant, said that she likes this way of ordering very much. The traditional ordering waiter always stands aside to recommend, which is very embarrassing for her who has been struggling for a long time and still can't order the right food. Self-service ordering can easily see the dishes and the total price in the shopping cart, and there is no need to queue up when checking out.

Viewpoint

"Unmanned restaurant" development outlet

Grasp the pain points of people's needs

New forms of catering with the concept of "unmanned" are emerging in an endless stream. With the development of the Internet, placing orders and settlement on mobile phones is no longer a new thing. Robot delivery also appears from time to time in the industry. However, when the novelty of the consumer experience fades, will it become the next "Internet celebrity"? Internet expert Ding Daoshi said that "unmanned restaurants" have already appeared in many places such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The current situation is still that the gimmick is far greater than the reality. For a long time in the future, it will not be able to replace traditional services, and there is still a long way to go for development.

Ding Daoshi pointed out that the flexibility of food delivery robots is far less than that of waiters, and their ability to deal with emergencies is limited. It is difficult to operate in batches and popularize them on a large scale. In addition, the initial investment cost of robots is high, and they also need careful maintenance during use. In terms of cost saving, the cost of robots is not necessarily lower than the cost of labor. However, the introduction of service robots in traditional restaurants allows citizens to have a more novel consumption experience to attract audiences. From this point of view, the advertising benefits it brings are far greater than the actual effect.

At present, some restaurants such as McDonald's and KFC in Chongqing have introduced self-service ordering by scanning codes, which reduces the waiting time for consumers and gradually becomes popular in major restaurants. Therefore, Ding Daoshi believes that the development of "unmanned restaurants" at this stage is to think from the perspective of consumers and grasp the pain points of ordinary people's consumption. For example, when people are shopping and dining, they don't like to queue up, so this unmanned ordering model came into being.