Another indirect effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is finding workers for the hospitality industry.
From salons and hotels to restaurants, workers are a hot commodity.
"We’ve been struggling to find labor," said Carlos Gazitua, CEO of Sergio's Restaurants. "Everyone is in the entire market, not just restaurants. And we had to see what can we do fishing from the same pond."
And since "necessity is the mother of invention," creative solutions are in high demand.
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"Robots became a solution," Gazitua said.
Cuban restaurant Sergio's, which serves hundreds of customers a day at its Kendall location, is in desperate need of help, and help is here. And this is not a sci-fi thriller.
Juan Higueros, the CEO and cofounder of Bear Robotics, says it's taken the company over three years to develop and perfect the server in the form of a robot.
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"So now, we are ready to begin," Higueros said. "Sergio's being the first in Miami. We're very proud to be here in such a historic place
No servers, no problem. A robot is taking over for a human -- from picadillo to flan, customers are getting served and this new experiment is getting tested.
"The robot will take the dishes to the table, and the server will give that personal touch," Gazitua said.
The robot will know to go back to the kitchen and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. By doing that, it's more efficient and gives more time for servers to provide a better experience for customers.
And when workers are ready to come back, will these robots get the boot?
"We expect to be in restaurants throughout the entire U.S. as well as throughout the world," Higueros said.
Only time will tell.
