From farming to supermarket self-checkouts, robots have long been creeping in and taking the jobs of their human counterparts – but is a robot waiter a step too far?
Right here in Greater Manchester, there’s a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet where your food is brought to your table by a robot. Yes, really.
The Chinese Buffet, or TCB Unlimited Dining Experience, has two sites in the region – one in Bolton. another in Wigan – and both use robots known as ‘Bella Bots’ to run food and drinks to diner’s tables.
These four shelves mean that ‘Bella’ can serve multiple tables at once, and even ‘chat’ with diners thanks to AI programming.
Customers order all of their food from a bespoke app, then it’s brought to their table by the robot, which has shelves down its back and scoots confidently across the restaurant floor without bumping into anything around it.
You can order as much as you want for a fixed price, starting from £12.50 for lunch going up to £21.99 for a ‘Grand Buffet’ on Fridays and Saturdays.
What’s on offer to you depends on the restaurant and the sitting time, but even at lunchtime for the cheapest price, you’ll still have a choice of roughly four soups, 11 starters, 16 mains, 3 sides and 9 desserts to get stuck into.
Video: The Manc Group
The robots were first introduced to the restaurant during the Covid pandemic, when strict rules required hospitality businesses to operate as table service only to stop the spread of the virus, but have proven even more useful as staff shortages continue to plague the industry.
She ‘never tires’, does not get sick, or require time off. She has also helped owners weather the storm of staff shortages and recruitment problems, during a period in which hospitality has faced some unprecedented challenges.
And at a rough price of £14,500 a pop, ‘Bella Bot’ costs the owners of TCB much less than it would to employ a food runner or waiter for 40 hours a week on minimum wage.
Now that restrictions in England have been lifted, bosses have decided to keep her on as a valued member of the team – saying that she makes life easier for their human staff, too.
Paolo Hu, TCB managing director, told the Liverpool Echo earlier this month: “The hospitality industry is facing unprecedented challenges in recruiting staff at the moment, so anything we can do to make team members feel more valued and their jobs easier goes a long way towards keeping staff motivated and happy.
“Bella Bot is a great new addition to the team, making it possible for front of house staff to spend more time attending to the needs of our customers.
“Bella never tires, she just keeps on going, making the return journey between kitchen and tables, literally hundreds of times a day, so our people can spend more time helping our customers have a great time”.
Feature image – TCB
Eats
Luxury Manchester steak restaurant launches bottomless brunch with endless rosé
Daisy Jackson
One of the newest luxury restaurants in Manchester is bringing back its suitably luxury bottomless brunch, with endless rosé and champagne.
The Cut & Craft is reintroducing its bottomless brunch, where you can sip on never-ending Whispering Angel Rosé while tucking into a flat iron steak.
And if you’re not fussed about the food and just want to indulge in 90 minutes of non-stop Moët & Chandon Champagne in a beautiful setting, there are bar-only tables available too, which come with complimentary black truffle crisps.
The whole thing will be soundtracked by a live DJ, dancers, and more.
Now, this landmark Victorian building is painted in rich blues and golds, with huge windows, private dining spaces, a sommelier lounge, and even a ‘gossip room’.
The Cut & Craft is reintroducing its bottomless brunch
Its bottomless brunch launched over the previous bank holidays and will be back again this August for one day only.
You can choose from bottomless Whispering Angel, Moët & Chandon Champagne, or both.
And dishes from the Cut & Craft bottomless brunch set menu include flat iron steak and chips; halloumi, steak or prawn fajitas; and grilled peach salad.
Each booking gets you 90 minutes of bottomless, with extra nibbles available like freshly shucked Carlingford oysters, caviar, olives, salted almonds, and more.
Whispering Angel tickets are £55 for bar, or £75 for restaurant.
Champagne AND Whispering Angel tickets are £80 at the bar or £100 in the restaurant.
Prestwich wine bar Chin Chin now serves roast dinner sandwiches
Daisy Jackson
A new (ish) wine bar in Prestwich has launched one of the city’s coolest Sunday offerings – roast dinner sandwiches, with a side of jazz.
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it 1000 times – Elnecot is up there as one of Manchester’s best Sunday roasts, with Yorkshire puddings you could fit a jug of gravy inside, blushing slices of roast beef, and generous portions that put you in the sort of food coma you should be in on a Sunday afternoon.
So when Roast Master (okay fine, his official job title is chef/owner) Michael Clay said that his sister venue Chin Chin was launching a Sunday offering, I was there with my nose pressed up at the window. I’m ready, Michael.
Sunday Sessions at Chin Chin, right in the heart of Prestwich village, brings that incredible roast beef and roast potatoes into a more casual format.
You can tuck into roast meat butties, roast potatoes loaded with cheese and gravy, and ice cream sundaes, all while perusing a well-thought-out wine list that’s written up by hand every time new bottles come in.
Oh, and did we mention there are £4 pints all day on Sunday – and that includes Guinness?
On the side of just about everything on the menu, you’re presented with a little bowl of extra gravy (how delightfully Northern) for dipping and dunking.
Sunday Sessions at Chin Chin in PrestwichRoast beef sandwiches at Chin ChinLancashire cheese toastiesThe BifanaLoaded roastiesWine and vinyl recordsInside Chin Chin wine barThe wine list at Chin Chin
Our top pick would be the roast beef sandwich, served between ciabatta rolls and laced with mustard mayo and caramelised onions.
But the cheese toastie is worth a visit too – a hefty helping of Lancashire cheese and charred spring onions, with a ‘secret sauce’ on the side.
Coming soon will be a new menu item, a Bifana sandwich. If you’ve trudged the streets of Portugal you’ll have come across these – thin slices of pork marinated in white wine and garlic, piled into bread with a punchy mustard. Chin Chin’s are excellent.
And for afters, because there is always room for dessert, it’s a lovely ice cream sundae topped with miso caramel and a showering of pistachios.
The whole time you’ll be eating with a soundtrack of jazz, played through the wine bar’s vinyl record system and Michael’s own personal collection of vinyls.
Chin Chin is open now on Bury New Road, with food on Sundays served between 12pm and 6pm.
Georgina Pellant -
28th February 2022 
