Oleg Kivokurtsev, the founder and development director of the Promobot company, told the DP correspondent that the restaurants that came first to receive robots to check QR codes have not yet received them.
Delivery is planned only in a month. In this case, we are essentially talking only about field tests of the device, and not about commercial contracts. In Moscow, the Italian restaurant The Toy will acquire such an “employee”, and in Perm, the Amber restaurant. Initially, it was reported that in St. Petersburg the robot will receive a mysterious “Geese” network, the existence of which in the city no one knew. In fact, it turned out to be the Gusi-Swan chain, which includes two restaurants. In one of them, the test will take place.
The robot is designed as a support structure that moves on two wheels. The body has a built-in screen for scanning and displaying materials, as well as sensors for orientation in space. In light of the current and widespread restrictions on admission to catering establishments, the robot was equipped with a scanner for reading QR codes and a passport scanner.
“We invented this functionality at the end of last week. Now we are negotiating with several organizations, we are at the stage of signing agreements. Depending on the configuration, the cost of the robot is about 2.5 million rubles,” says Oleg Kivokurtsev.
The GL Group, which manages the Gusi-Lebedi restaurants, told DP that they did not plan to test the robot for a long time. It is quite possible that they will abandon it if it does not fit into the interior: it looks too cartoonish and plastic.
“The Promobot company, which makes robots for Sberbank and the MFC, contacted us and offered to try it out. We do not know how this system works and how guests will cope with it. guests can easily walk past the robot. This means that an additional employee should be attached to it, “said Kirill Zinkovsky, head of the GL Group Development and Promotion Department.
In general, the expert estimates the demand for a robot on the market not too high: “For this amount, not all restaurants will be able to hire such an assistant. And because of the restrictions imposed, robots will not be in demand, too large and long-term recoupment costs.”
Restaurant critic Anna Kovarskaya is also convinced that there is no business component in the new project in terms of payback.
“As a marketing ploy, it's ingenious! To look at a robot, you can get a graft. But the main thing is that the restaurant has a qualified employee who will serve this robot. The hostess is unlikely to be able to do this – you need technical specialists, engineers to set up all the necessary processes, “she explains.
