For years we've spoken about the automation wave that is set to sweep across the food industry, but it wasn't until the virus pandemic when demand for automation, producing a contactless environment between patron and employee, absolutely erupted. 

Two companies making robots for restaurants are Bear Robotics, a robotics and artificial intelligence company, and SoftBank Robotics Group, a robotics manufacture. They have jointly designed a new robot named Servi that will be sold to foodservice and hospitality companies.

Both companies expect "skyrocketing demand for these autonomous indoor robots in restaurants and other dining venues," stated a Bear Robotics and SoftBank Robotics Group press release.  

"Servi has been developed to be a new member of the food service workforce to assist staff and elevate the overall customer experience. Servi's agility and object detection put its safety in a class of its own. This has resulted in significant interest in from the hospitality market in Japan, Korea, and the United States. Servi comes with additional features like bussing, drink delivery, and patrol mode. This will allow restaurant and dining hall owners to maximize their operating efficiency, while also elevating service quality to customers," the press release said.