In an attempt to combat a statewide labor shortage in the service industry, restaurants are getting creative with how they serve their food.
COPYRIGHT 2023 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — In an attempt to combat a statewide labor shortage in the service industry, restaurants are getting creative with how they serve their food.
For many restaurants, the staffing shortage was a problem even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, the pandemic-related issues made finding workers even more difficult.
“About a year ago at our first location in Wauwatosa, we were still struggling to find staff,” Golden Nest Café general manager Wayne Doney said. “And we’re still struggling even today.”
Then, a solution arose. Golden Nest Café was approached by Bear Robotics with a new electronic food server called the Servi.
The robot uses GPS technology to map the restaurant floor, deliver food to tables and then return to its starting point in the kitchen, Doney said.
“We decided that would give us the best opportunity to help our servers by keeping them on the floor with their customers rather than running to the kitchen every five minutes to check on the food,” Doney said.
Doney said the robots are not replacing workers. Instead, they’re making operations more efficient and helping servers provide better customer service — all while bringing smiles to their customers’ faces.
“We haven’t replaced anyone,” Doney said. “This is just a tool, no different than a stand or a tray. The only difference is that it’s more mobile. It just provides our staff with opportunities to do a better job.”
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An electronic food server called the Servi maneuvers through the Golden Nest Café in Sun Prairie on Jan. 19. 2023. WISC-TV/Channel3000.
Sun Prairie restaurant implements robotic food server to combat staffing shortage
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An electronic food server called the Servi maneuvers through the Golden Nest Café in Sun Prairie on Jan. 19. 2023. WISC-TV/Channel3000.
An electronic food server called the Servi maneuvers through the Golden Nest Café in Sun Prairie on Jan. 19. 2023. WISC-TV/Channel3000.
An electronic food server called the Servi maneuvers through the Golden Nest Café in Sun Prairie on Jan. 19. 2023. WISC-TV/Channel3000.
An electronic food server called the Servi maneuvers through the Golden Nest Café in Sun Prairie on Jan. 19. 2023. WISC-TV/Channel3000.
Kristine Hillmer, the president of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, said the robots are not a one-size-fits-all solution for all restaurants.
“This is just one thing that restaurants are doing,” Hillmer said. “Other restaurants are doing other things, whether it’s a kiosk or a QR code that you can use on your phone.”
Hillmer said a decline in the state’s population, in addition to people moving to other industries, has made restaurant worker shortages a problem for the foreseeable future.
“We’re not going to see any relief in this workforce shortage any time soon, so we need to figure out how to get people to move here,” Hillmer said. “We just don’t have the population growth that’s going to really help our businesses grow.”
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
COPYRIGHT 2023 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
