They work seven days a week. Of a jovial nature, they often push the song, especially on the occasion of birthdays. Tilou and Kitty have nicknames that could be given to two day camp leaders, but are rather feline-looking robots “hired” by a St-Hubert restaurant.
And these robots-cats could multiply in the establishments of the roaster during the next year. Currently, six branches use their services.
Thus, at the St-Hubert restaurant located on boulevard Saint-Martin in Laval, while Kitty waits in the kitchen for the plates to be placed on one of her four cabarets, Tilou waits at the rest station. To clean it, a waitress sometimes passes a wipe over her “face”, which is similar to a tablet. He then winks and his ears light up, a sign that he likes being taken care of, noted The Press during his visit to the branch, on a midday weekday.
In the kitchen, Kitty’s trays are full. She is ready to go. A waitress indicates the table number where she must go with the plates by writing it on the tablet. She will go there, sometimes to jazz tunes. “Your waitress will be arriving soon,” she says to the seated customers, in a slightly childish voice. She will then wait for a human to take the plates of chicken and fries to put them on the table. Once unloaded, it will take leave while greeting the guests.
A robot can carry eight plates at a time. When they circulate in the restaurant, the two felines leave no one indifferent. Customers take pictures of them. Some even call before coming to eat to make sure the robots will be in service, the waitresses on site told us.
The arrival of these new kind of employees in restaurants has caused a lot of talk since the beginning of the year. They multiplied at St-Hubert. The establishments in Laval, Drummondville, Saint-Hyacinthe, Gaspé, Rivière-du-Loup and Mont-Tremblant now have them on their list of employees. The decision to hire them is up to each franchisee. The rotisserie chicken chain would like other restaurants to give these robotic cats, barely larger than an 8-year-old child, a chance. Groupe St-Hubert is betting that word of mouth will do its work and that other owners will be seduced, according to Josée Vaillancourt, director of communications.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Hélène Barrière, general manager of the St-Hubert restaurant branch located on boulevard Saint-Martin in Laval, with the robot
For “top shape” employees
Far from being a threat to jobs, assure the restaurateurs, the robot acts more as an assistant. In Saint-Hyacinthe, Steve Deslauriers, owner of a St-Hubert restaurant, decided to “hire” Rob-Hert because he is on the lookout for new technologies, but also to relieve his waitresses – most of whom are women – who suffer from shoulder, elbow or knee pain.
Waitresses can walk eight to ten kilometers a day during their shift. Since we have the robot, it allows them to take fewer steps.
Steve Deslauriers, owner of a St-Hubert restaurant
Groupe St-Hubert is obviously not the only restaurateur to want to spare its employees, a rare commodity these days. Other establishments use the service of a robotic employee. This is also what prompted François Roy, owner of Restaurant Matinée in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, to welcome Bella to his team in February. “Initially, it was to take care of my waitresses,” he says.
Mr. Roy also adds that since the end of the pandemic, the turnover of his restaurant specializing in breakfasts has literally “exploded”. “It’s difficult to meet the demand for labor shortages. »
He eventually invested $25,000 in buying a robot, one of the few in the area. According to the restaurateurs interviewed, this type of robot sells for between $18,000 and $25,000. Manufactured in Asia, the robots are distributed in the country by various Canadian companies such as GreenCo Robots and Sparc Technologies.
One thing is certain, François Roy does not regret his investment. “On Sundays, we serve 500 lunches. At the end of the day, the waitresses are still top shape. »
“For a group of eight, honestly, an employee can go to the kitchen three times. There are toast and coffee, he illustrates. But here, Bella is carrying the eight plates and the waitress is bringing the coffee. The advantage is considerable. »
“Bella pays for herself”
In addition to providing a serious boost on the floor, robot employees have become an important marketing tool. “When I bought Bella, I told my employees that if we had a new customer who comes to the restaurant for the first time every day, Bella would pay off,” says François Roy.
“But there, it’s not just a client. People come from everywhere,” he says, adding that a couple drove from Gatineau to see the new robot in action. “We hadn’t expected so much excitement. Finally, Bella pays for herself! “, he says, laughing.
“It’s become a kind of mascot,” said Steve Deslauriers. At St-Hubert in Saint-Hyacinthe, the robot is literally turning heads.
“Initially, I had one and I had to order a second because customers sometimes left the restaurant, disappointed not to have seen the robot”, says the president of Aki Sushi, Claude Guay. His restaurant located in Saguenay hired its first robot employee two years ago.
“It’s an efficient, safe system. And as a bonus, he is always in a good mood. »