Watch: SHEX Pisses off a Robot Waiter

---

---

From ice cream droids to ramen bots, the city's food sector is becoming so automated we wouldn’t be surprised if Judgement Day kicks off in Shanghai's kitchens. The latest firm to jump on the tech train is Pizza Hut, which opened its first robot concept restaurant ph+ in the basement of Shanghai Tower last month. After trying it, we were a tad disappointed.

Watch our review of the futuristic restaurant here:

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?width=500&height=375&auto=0&vid=s0354ksharj

---

The Yumpire Strikes Back 

---

When you picture a robofied Pizza Hut, you probably think of something futuristic ie. Transformers twirling pizza dough, WALL-E’s girlfriend flitting from table-to-table whipping pies to patrons like a frisbee shooter, the like. Instead you get this guy......

Pizza Hut's twin robots, both named Casper due to their amorphous white designs, don't even handle the pizza. Ph+ has human staff for that. They simply greet you, show you to your table, and return to the front of the restaurant, all while beeping like a Tourettsian R2D2.

To activate them, stroke the top of their heads. Then input your table number, touch their head again, and they will bring you to your seat aka trundle behind you at a negative speed like a penguin after a prostate exam. Yeah, they’re essentially robotronic window dressing. Because why have a smoking 'Hai-tai hostess greet people when you can send in a glorified roomba? But we digress. And we’d be remiss not pointing out how adorable they are. 

One thing we did like was that whenever you get remotely close to them, their screen displays this message.....

They’ve clearly kept the attitude of their human counterparts.

The coolest feature is not the pizza droids themselves, but the table at the center that doubles as a digital touch-screen menu on which you can customize your pie -- think an iPad that you can eat on (we give a tutorial in the video). If the table is occupied, which it will likely be during peak times, simply activate their menu on your iPhone by scanning the QR code on your table. 

Our favorite part of ph+ was its design makeover. Grubby pizza parlor walls are replaced by wooden shelves housing contorted white vases — making you feel like you’re eating in Salvador Dali’s basement — and the kitchen is open, allowing you to see the action. They’ve also done away with the conga line of delivery men shambling in and out of the joint in their dusty Robocop helmets. 

Overall, ph+ is yet another ploy by the Yumpire to woo Chinese customers in wake of rampant food scandals and competition from local companies. And while the robots aren’t the worst we’ve ever heard of, let’s just say Skynet’s not sending them back in time to kill John Connor anytime soon. Strike this off your culinary bucket list, and move onto the next fad.

Find it: B2, Shanghai Center, 479 Lujiazui Huan Lu (Yincheng Zhong Lu) 陆家嘴环路479号上海中心地下二层 (近银城中路), Tel: [phone]

---

---

---

---