Andy Jacob, CEO of the Jacob Group, says your next restaurant server may be a robot

Andy Jacob, CEO of the Jacob Group, says restaurant servers may be phased out by robots faster than people think. Today,it feels like manual jobs are being eaten up by smart machines. You name it...from radiologists to truck drivers and even journalists; machines are now part of every job profile. You might be tempted to complain about this trend to your friendly restaurant waiter, but wait! That waiter may also become a robot! That will not be far from reality if California-based startup Bear Robotics has its way. The two-year-old tech firm is working on "robots that help," for delivering food to diners at restaurants. Andy Jacob says, “The development in robots will take giant strides over the next 10 years driven by the military, and soon, they will become part of our everyday lives”.

The food service industry is set to face some disruption, according to Andy Jacob, CEO of the Jacob Group. Bear Robotics ultimate aim is to address the increasing pressure of high wages, labor, and high cost of maintenance to run a restaurant.

Company CEO John Ha, a former Intel engineer-turned restaurant owner, had the first-hand experience of the mounting problems faced by restaurant owners. It is from his experience of having to shut down his own store that drove him to take up this venture.

Investors seem to be bitten by the idea of robot food servers. As per its SEC filing, Bear Robotics has received $10.2 million from a dozen investors and is on the verge of a very large multimillion dollar deal. The money may not appear big for startups, but it is a remarkable start for a food service robot project. Its first server identified as "Penny," is designed to move from the kitchen to the table and back. Restaurants will be able to "hire" these robots by paying a monthly subscription. The subscription fee will cover the robot and setup cost, including mapping of the restaurant (to help Penny avoid from hitting tables), along with technical support.

Meanwhile, Bear's investors, which the startup has not named, could be taking a cue from Alibaba which opened a highly automated restaurant in Shanghai last year. Alibaba's robots just slide down tracks to deliver the diner's meal. The investors may also be looking at broader automation — from robotic chefs that prepare ingredients to table-mounted self-pay tablets — with servers as one of the last pieces of the puzzle to be addressed.

However, this new development does not mean that Bear Robotics or other startups will totally change the entire way in which restaurants serve food to their clients. The futuristic experience still lacks good old human interaction - one of the main reasons people still head to restaurants. Besides, with the growth in take-out order is likely to dampen this venture.