Chili’s Grill Bar is using robots to help serve customers

A robot may be greeting you at the door during your next visit to Chili's Grill Bar.

Two years ago, when we started this process, we had this vision of how do we make it easier for people to work in a restaurant? Allen said something.

Some of the hardest tasks are carrying heavy dishes back and forth to the kitchen walking back and forth a thousand steps, an hour or more That's huge volumes. Allen said if a team member could take on fewer jobs and leave the more mundane tasks to Rita the Robot, it allows them to be more engaged with guests while benefiting the restaurant overall.

Rita the Robot has four primary tasks when working at the American restaurant chain guiding guests to their tables, delivering food, carrying the dishes back and singing a birthday greeting for celebrations.

The robot was named Rita because Chili prides itself on making the perfect margaritas.

Since the robot servers were successful in Chili's, the franchise expanded Rita the Robot to 51 additional restaurants nationwide.

Allen said that the robot servers were not implemented due to limited staffing, despite the U.S. economy experiencing labor shortages across the country.

He explained that robots aren't autonomous. It has to have a team member connected to it, you always have to have a team member to work that robot, to get them to help and help. Wade said that the challenge that the company faced was finding the best way to serve customers because restaurants were one of the hardest hit industries impacted by the deadly coronaviruses epidemic. He pointed out that the business had great systems in place for delivery and take-out options that the business was able to capitalize on. According to Wade, Chili s has seen positive reactions from the robot servers.

He concluded that Rita the Robot is really fun for the guests. The team is making casual dining a better place for everyone and making the job easier for everyone.