Robot waiter arrives in Mangaluru

A restaurant in Mangaluru has put a robot on the dining floor to carry plates from the kitchen to customers’ tables. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The Times of India reported on April 18, 2026, that staff still take orders by hand, then place finished dishes on the machine for the last leg of service. The report described the robot as a four-foot-tall Japanese model. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The same report said the robot is serving everyday local orders, including goli baje, rather than a special demonstration menu. That puts the machine in a regular neighborhood restaurant workflow, not a trade-show setup. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Robot waiters are not new in India, but they have usually appeared as novelty attractions in a few city restaurants. Times of India has previously reported robot-serving restaurants in Shivamogga in 2019, Kannur in 2019, Mysuru in 2022, and West Bengal in 2024. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com 1) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com 2) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com 3) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com 4) What has changed is the pitch. A Print report on April 12, 2026, said restaurants in Mohali, Delhi, and Gurugram are using robot servers to handle food delivery runs and reduce staff workload, while keeping people in customer-facing roles. (theprint.in) That matters in a large, fast-growing sector. The National Restaurant Association of India’s 2024 food services report said the industry was worth about Rs 5.69 lakh crore, contributed 1.9 percent to gross domestic product, and was projected to reach Rs 7.76 lakh crore by 2028; Business Standard and The Economic Times both cited the report. (business-standard.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The same 2024 report said the sector directly employed about 8.5 million people and could cross 10 million by 2028. In that context, even limited automation tends to be framed as support for runners and servers, not a full replacement for restaurant staff. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (theprint.in) For diners in Mangaluru, the change is simple and visible: a human still hears the order, a cook still makes the food, and a robot now rolls the plate to the table. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)