Futuristic restaurants in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Robot waiters improved the experience of guests and increased revenues by up to 250%

Imagine following scene: you`re sitting in a restaurant or cafe full of people and you`re thinking "when will I meet the waiter here"... and while you`re impatiently waiting for someone to notice you, you`re suddenly interrupted by a melody and an enthusiastic voice: "Good afternoon! What would you like?" You turn towards the source and your eyes fall on the robot waiter, standing in front of you waiting for your orders. For a moment, you are taken aback, as if you have stepped into some distant future, and not into restaurants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where robots have become new members of the hospitality team.

This scene is a reality that takes place in certain cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where robot waiters are not only a novelty, but also practical assistants who improve the experience of guests and work "side by side" with other workers.

It has been almost a year since the first robots arrived in BiH, more precisely in the Kort Caffe restaurant in Derventa, and since then five more have arrived. As pointed out by the company Fructa Trade, which is the owner of the restaurant, the first goal was to solve the "deadlock" between the waiters, the kitchen and the customers, to speed up the delivery of orders, and at the same time to make it attractive.

- There were many comments and, to our joy, more positive ones. The negatives were mostly the result of people not knowing what these robots were and what their "task" was. Its job is to get from the kitchen to your table, where the waiter removes the food or drink from the robot for the guests. When the dish is delivered, the robot asks you "Would you like anything else?" and after that it returns to the starting point, i.e. to the kitchen - they explain for eKapija from the Fructa Trade company.

Wanting to break prejudices, they emphasize that robots cannot replace waiters, they are there to cooperate with them, that is, to make their work easier.

- After these seven, which we currently have in Derventa, Trebinje and Mostar, five more are coming, and we can reveal that Banjaluka is one of the cities where robot waiters will soon arrive, and we plan to introduce some more novelties by the summer, which we will inform you about when the moment is right - this company reveals to us.

The benefits of the introduction of robot waiters are most felt in some prime times and on weekends, when the capacities are full. Robots can carry several orders, and no one can complain to them that they are waiting for a long time.

- Today, everything is marketing, robots are certainly an attraction and since they have been there, the number of guests has increased. Although quality is our first priority, with robots we wanted to make the work of our employees easier, but also to follow modern trends.

As for malfunctions and some contingencies, Fructa Trade says that they haven`t encountered it so far, and that they are in constant contact with the company from China that supplied them with robots.

- The only thing we have come across so far is that the sensors under him get dirty, dust accumulates... these are some errors that it itself reports, that it is difficult to move and the sensor needs to be cleaned. Many people wondered if it could happen that the robot hits or gets stuck on someone, it is practically impossible because they have enough sensors and cameras, and they move slowly enough to be able to react in time when they see an "obstacle".

The first robot waiter at the Saranada restaurant in Tuzla "started on duty" on January 18. As they tell us from this restaurant, they are very satisfied because it did its job of 15 hours flawlessly and without any problems.

- We named it Bela and the guests were delighted. We made a big "boom" - Edin, the manager of the Saranada restaurant, tells us with satisfaction.

And he also points out that a robot cannot replace a human.

- It is there to make work easier, takes dirty dishes to the kitchen, carries orders... the workers are very happy to have such an assistant. Two more robots will arrive soon, one waiter and one robot that will clean the hall in order to relieve our employees of those duties.

Edin says that, with the arrival of the robot, new guests started coming to the restaurant, and the biggest delight is in the children, whom Bela always treats with some juice or sweets. At the end of the conversation, he says that this investment is quite expensive, but that it is well worth it.