Denny's robot server

A video shot by a customer of a Denny's restaurant robot named 'Janet' serving breakfast has gone viral. The video has now been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on TikTok and beyond.

Comments range from positive to concerns about the impact on jobs, wages, tips, and the human dining experience. Some threaten to boycott the business.

Denny's has not commented on the video, or on its robotics programme. The company is understood to have been testing Bear Robotics' robot technology for two months. 

The stated purpose of many robotics and robotic process automation (RPA) programmes is to increase efficiency and capacity. Few companies state publicly the actual or potential indirect, secondary impacts of these programmes on employment and jobs.