Serving Robots Are Impressive but Not Yet Commercialized... "Limited Roles and High Rental Costs Are Burdens"

Serving Robot 'Dilly' Operating 20 Units Across 15 Stores
'Penny' Also Managed Only About 1,600 Servings Until Last Month
"Unable to Perform Necessary Customer Service Skills... Technology Improvement and Cost Reduction Needed"

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Serving robots (delivery robots) have emerged as a hot topic not only in the logistics industry but also in the food service industry. However, only a very small number of establishments are actually utilizing them. The limited roles they can perform compared to humans, along with a rental fee of about 1 million KRW per month, are cited as reasons for the slow commercialization.

According to Woowa Brothers on the 23rd, the autonomous indoor serving robot 'Dilly,' which began rental services for general self-employed business owners in November last year, has been installed and operated in about 20 units across 15 stores until recently. Compared to when it was first introduced in 2018 as a revolutionary robot capable of carrying 1.5 times more food at a lower cost than human employees, the number of establishments using it is still practically small.

Dilly is mainly used in a test format at symbolic stores of large food service companies or franchises. It is currently in use at Woowa Brothers' own Italian fusion restaurant 'Merigo Kitchen,' Pulmuone Food & Culture's food service brand 'Chanjang' Pangyo branch, 'Meihao & Jayeoneun Masitda' Incheon Airport branch, and 'Pizza Hut' fast casual dining stores. Among famous local restaurants, Sokcho's 'Cheongchosu Mulhoe' has been using Dilly since the end of last year.

The serving robot 'Penny,' introduced in 2017 by AI-based autonomous robot developer Bear Robotics, can also be found only in some restaurants such as 'Villa de Charlotte' at Jamsil World Mall operated by Lotte GRS. Until last month, it handled about 1,600 serving tasks. The Chinese robot manufacturer 'Foodbot,' which made Dilly, has recently started to be used in places like the chicken franchise BBQ (Songpa-gu cafe-style store) and CJ Freshway (Golf course 'South Links' cafeteria S Lounge No. 1).

Food ordered by customers placed in the serving robot introduced at CJ Freshway's 'S Lounge'

On paper, using serving robots is more advantageous for self-employed business owners than hiring staff. Serving robots have multiple shelves, allowing them to serve food to several tables at once. They can carry up to about 50 kg of food, and the control interface is easy and convenient. In the case of Dilly, it can serve up to 7 food items and 12 drinks at once, which is 1.5 times more than a human employee. However, the rental fee of 900,000 to 1,200,000 KRW per month remains a burden for self-employed business owners. The monthly rental fee for Dilly is 900,000 KRW if a two-year contract is signed. If a one-year contract is signed, the cost rises to 1,200,000 KRW per month. Installation and removal fees also cost 600,000 KRW each.

Kim Eun-rae (55), who runs a franchise chicken restaurant in Guro-gu, Seoul, said, "Compared to the wages of regular employees, the rental fee for serving robots is nearly 1 million KRW cheaper, but most of the time, tasks such as table cleaning and customer service, which robots cannot perform, are necessary," adding, "Paying about 1 million KRW per month just for simple serving work is a big burden for small self-employed business owners."

An official from the food service industry said, "Serving robots have been introduced in large numbers at events like CES this year and have become a hot topic, but the robots currently being tested indoors at food service establishments mainly function as delivery robots for carrying items," adding, "From regulatory and technological perspectives, various improvements and proven effectiveness are needed for the actual use by self-employed business owners to increase."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.