Robots have yet to take over our kitchens, but they could be a crucial part of hospitality teams. A multi-cuisine restaurant located along National Highway 34 in West Bengal is using a robot called Ananya. The 5-foot robot is painted white and has a rectangular face that doubles as a sensor-driven digital display that makes it easier for kitchen staff to transport dishes ordered by customers. The robots were reportedly assembled by the restaurant’s IT team in collaboration with an unnamed Indian software company.

The robot has four vertically placed shelves to carry the food, but it has no hands. Human staff at the table takes the food from the tray and serves it to the customers at their tables and Ananya is also equipped to turn right or left without spilling or knocking over the food.

The robot, which can walk and talk, can politely ask bystanders to clear its path by saying phrases like, “Please let me go. Please stay out of my way and let me serve you.” The restaurant, located near Kalindi, is called Mother’s Hut and is run entirely by women from the local community. The restaurant currently employs four “Ananya” servers; the name is a tribute to a former staff member named Ananya, who was one of the restaurant’s first three employees.

The introduction of the ‘Ananya’ robots has increased the number of visitors to the restaurant and attracts customers from the surrounding area. The robots were assembled by the restaurant’s IT team in collaboration with an unnamed Indian software company.

“We have four robots, all named Ananya (Invincible), to project the resilience and fighting spirit of every woman. Our restaurant is run entirely by women from the neighbourhood. They take care of everything – from housekeeping to cooking, from housekeeping to cooking, from operating the cash register to helping at the front desk. So we thought Ananya would be the most suitable name,” said Subhankar Mondal, manager of Mother’s Hut restaurant.

Mondal also shared that there are plans to introduce more robots within a year, which will fully automate the service at the restaurant using artificial intelligence. “This will reduce the workload on our female staff, allowing them to add significant value to the service. Once this kitchen automation is done in a year, you can call us the only AI-driven, AI-themed restaurant in the eastern region of the country,” said the restaurant’s co-owner Anath Bandhu Garai.