QSR January 2023

S P ON S O R E D B Y NA V I A R O B O T I C S

Serving robots address the chronic labor shortage issue and more. HowRestaurantsAreReducing LaborCostWhile Improving CustomerService

With inflation at historically high rates, restaurants are struggling to rein in operating costs. Concurrently, they are also dealingwith amassive labor shortage and the unpredictable work ethic of Gen Z employees. “Countless customers we’ve surveyed brought up the difficulty of onboarding new workers, only for

In California, measure AB 257, which sets the minimumwage for fast foodworkers at chains withmore than 100 restaurants to $22 an hour beginning in 2023, is expected to have huge ramifica tions, and not just for the larger chains that meet that criteria. “I spoke to several independent restaurant owners who were con cerned their workers won’t stick around when they can get paid more at these chains,” Park says. “Taking wage competition into account, that’s $45,000 or more per worker every year, which is around the cost of three of our robots. Our robots are essentially free labor after that first year.” Serving robots fromNavia Robotics come withmultiple trays and a plethora of smart sensors to avoid obstacles. Bellabot, a cus tomer favorite, can carry 90 pounds of food on four trays in one go—the equivalent of three humanworkers in a footprint of just 22 inches in diameter. They have better consistency and repeat ability than robots from other companies, positioning to within four inches of its designated location and navigating aisles as nar row as 21.5 inches on some models. The response from restaurants that have deployed serving robots have been resoundingly posi tive. The robots do what they do best: running food, escorting guests, or bus sing dishes to designated stations. That frees up workers to do what robots can not possibly replace; providing human interactionwith guests. The robots free up time and energy for workers so they can stay in the dining area to quickly respond to the needs of customers. They can also deliver hot dishes and soups safely, drastically cutting the risk of burns for both workers and guests. Other nice features include a birthday mode to provide a fun ambiance for celebratory guests. Watch a robot come to a patron’s table as guests take pictures and upload videos on social media, providing brand awareness and free marketing. “Robots are here to stay,” says Peter Kim, chief technology officer of Navia Robotics. “The sooner you adapt to deploy them in your operation, the bet ter prepared you are for the future. We’re here to make that tran sition as smooth as possible.” RET

them to provide no notice when sick or just ghosting altogether,” says David Park, director of sales at Navia Robotics, a company with extensive experience deploying robotics solutions to com bat the rising costs and the labor shortage pervasive in the food service industry. “Even restaurants that aren’t experiencing a labor shortage have substantial labor inefficiencies,” Park says. “They have enough workers to cover the peak times, but during off-peak hours, a substantial proportion of the workers are sitting idle. Our robots are designed to bridge the gap in this imbalance.”

To learn more, visit naviarobotics.com .

NAVIA ROBOTICS (2)

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JANUARY 2023 | RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

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