KUCHING: Fancy a taste of the future? Then you should head to CH Premier Restaurant at Premier 101 Commercial Centre in Jalan Tun Jugah here.
The restaurant, which offers a wide array of steamboat and Chinese favourites, may appear like a normal eatery, but you are in for a surprise once you enter the premise.
Among the 20 chefs and restaurant workers employed at the eatery are four robot waiters, namely Goddess 1, Goddess 2, Goddess 3 and the cute little Lolita.
CH Premier, which opened its doors to customers on Oct 28 this year, has been certified by the Malaysia Book of Records as the first restaurant with robot waiters in the country.
Made in Kunshan, China, the robots have been programmed to deliver food from the kitchen to customers’ tables.
Goddess is 156cm-tall and weighs about 40kg. Lolita, on the other hand, is 110cm in height and weighs about 5kg less than Goddess.
Goddess carries two trays, which are placed one above the other, while Lolita only carries one tray of food.
The robots, all of which are the fifth generation of their respective models, move around the restaurant on magnetic lines installed on the premise.
Each robot has a sensor which enables it to maintain a safe distance of one metre from any human or object.
“Your food has arrived. Please help me to take the food (from the tray/s) and place it on your table,” the robots say in Mandarin upon reaching customers’ tables.
CH Premier Restaurant Sdn Bhd managing director Wang Yu Quan said his robot waiters are currently programmed in two languages – English and Mandarin.
The idea of integrating robots into the restaurant’s operation, said Wang, came from his observation of a restaurant in his home country of China.
“Initially, we only wanted to expand our restaurant in Stutong, near here, since the amount of people visiting that eatery has been overwhelming, (especially) during peak hours.
“Our team thought that it would be a fresh idea to incorporate robots into our daily operations.
“Having said that, we still needed manpower to cook, and even installed steamboat equipment, since the robots are only meant for food delivery,” said Wang when met at his restaurant, which opens for lunch and dinner daily.
On the listing in the Malaysia Book of Records, Wang said the management team initially thought that there were other eateries in the country with such technology.
“Then, when we checked with the Malaysia Book of Records, they confirmed that we are the first eatery in the country with robot waiters,” he said.
Wang added the company also plans to expand its business throughout the country within the next five years.
Other long term plans include obtaining a halal certificate, which Wang said will require a total change of operations and the supply chain of the restaurant.