A McDonald’s in Shanghai has started using robots to welcome customers and bring food to tables. The machines are attracting attention online, and yes, they are wearing McDonald’s red with the golden arches on their chests.
Robots on the counter, humans in the kitchen
The robots come from Chinese manufacturer Keenon Robotics. The company says its Humanoid series is front and center in the trial, with both humanoid figures and other service robots working behind the counter. The humanoids can respond to orders and mimic customer movements.
According to a post from the robot maker on social media, the trial is meant to show how service automation can fit into everyday dining. For now, the setup is not fully autonomous. Robots will deliver your meal to your table if you choose to eat in, but humans still prepare the food.
Why it is not a full robot takeover
- Food prep remains human. Cooking and many prep tasks still need people.
- Customer service needs a human touch. Staff are still required for handling issues and steps robots cannot manage yet.
- Pilot scale only. The roll-out so far is limited to a single store, rather than a nationwide replacement of staff.
Other robot restaurant experiments have hit snags
Automation in eateries has not been smooth everywhere. For example:
- A Singapore restaurant that used an AI cooking system closed one branch because it could not find enough human workers to support operations. Even when a robot handled cooking, people were still needed for tasks around the food and for customer service.
- A San Jose, California restaurant experienced chaos when a service robot malfunctioned and caused damage to tables and plates.
These cases underline that while robots can reduce some repetitive work, restaurants still rely on people for many roles. The Shanghai McDonald’s trial is a small, visible step toward automation, but it is not a complete replacement for human staff.
