Colorado Chili’s Restaurant Now Using A Robot Hostess. Good Or Bad Idea?
Local Colorado Chili's restaurants are testing robot hostesses and we got to see one in action in Northern Colorado over the weekend. It's pretty crazy. (scroll down for video)
Colorado Chili's Using Robots?
We've all seen futurist movies, like Back to the Future, where we've been given a glimpse of how things would be in the future, or well, now, if you're going off of the years chosen in Back to the Future in particular. We don't have near the cool stuff that we thought we'd have after watching those. No flying cars, magic food machines, and come on, our "hoverboards" don't even hover. One thing that they did get right though was robots taking over some of the human jobs in restaurants and stores, and as I learned over the weekend, that transition is happening, right now, and right here in Northern Colorado.
Video Of Chili's Robot Hostess
As you've no doubt seen or experienced, many businesses are experiencing extreme staff shortages which are leading to some local restaurants and shops closing certain days of the week to give the staff that they do have some days off. One restaurant in Northern Colorado is taking a different approach and has recently introduced "Rita" to its customers. Who's Rita? She's a robot helping with hosting duties at the Chili's in Loveland on Highway 34 and I-25. A friend of mine got to meet Rita firsthand over the weekend and took this video of her in action.
When I asked my friend, Amanda, more about Rita she said:
It will carry food to the table and dishes to the kitchen too! The wait staff seemed to be taking turns greeting people, asking how many, loading 'Rita' with menus and silverware, then programming in the table number. Then we followed her to the table. They had just started using her that week so said they hadn't used her for carrying yet. She ran into our waiter twice though.
I've not seen Rita, or any others like her in action so I'm going to have to take a trip to the Loveland Chili's to experience this for myself because she absolutely talked me into their chips and salsa. Welcome to the future.