Denny's Is Using Robot Waiters & Not Everyone Is Thrilled

And so it begins...

Bruce VanLoon/Shutterstock
Bruce VanLoon/Shutterstock

The robot takeover has been imminent for some time—at least, that's what some people believe. The jury is still out on whether or not we'll be bowing down to mechanical overlords in the future, but one thing is for sure: More places are employing the use of machines where possible. Take the new robot waiters at Denny's, for example. 

The breakfast chain began using robots to serve customers, and while it's certainly a sight to see not everyone is thrilled about it. A video featuring a robot server went viral on TikTok, causing some controversy among those who saw it, according to Futurism. The clip features a three-tiered robot that is able to serve food to tables when human servers have too much on their plates—figuratively, of course. 

The robot in the clip is called Janet and can be seen serving a customer their eggs and hashbrowns during a recent visit. The person who posted the TikTok didn't pick a side in the robot wars, but commenters made their thoughts known. One of the top comments on the post pointed out that robot servers could create trouble in terms of tipping, while another said they would stay away from an eatery that didn't have people. Someone else called it "sad."

"Can't afford to pay you over 4.00 hr. but we just got 4 robots for 6500.00 each," one comment read.

Another TikTok user wrote, "Want [to be] paid more? Goodbye job."

"How much do you tip a robot," a third commenter asked.

According to The Takeout, the robot is a Bear Robotic Servi and designed to bring food to tables and return dirty dishes to the kitchen.

It feels only fair to note that Denny's isn't replacing its waitstaff with robots, but rather using them to help out when servers are busy. Customers' concerns are, however, valid. People still have to be on hand to clear tables and load the robots with dishes, as they're only capable of going to and from tables.

 

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Caitlyn Hitt is Daria IRL. Don't take our word for it—find her on Twitter @nyltiaccc.