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Your delicious fajitas could be brought to your table by a robot. No, seriously!
Chili's has rolled out new robot technology called Servi made by Bear Robotics, according to CultureMap Dallas. The casual restaurant chain began to test out these robots, which they named "Rita," in over 60 locations starting in October 2020. You can find Rita at select Chili's locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York and Texas.
In Dallas, Rita is ready to help serve you at the following four locations:
- Castle Hills: 4570 Highway 121, Lewisville
- Tarrant Pkwy: 8485 Davis Blvd, North Richland Hills
- Justin Road: 6251 Long Prairie Rd, Flower Mound
- Park & Preston: 5012 W. Park Blvd, Plano
A spokesperson told CultureMap Dallas that Rita isn't taking anyone's job. "She exists to make the jobs of our Team Members easier and to actually allow guests to get more face time with our staff because our servers don’t need to run back and forth," the rep said.
Rita's duties include hosting, food running, bussing and singing a birthday song. The robot gets the job done correctly more than 99% of the time. "The hospitality industry is about people, and we have no interest in changing that," said senior vice president of innovation Wade Allen at Brinker, Chili's parent company. "We are innovating in ways that make Team Members less likely to burn out or wear down. Rita can shoulder the physical load, leading to less exertion and more efficiency."
You can see Rita in action below: