A few years ago not in the prehistoric era, but it feels like it, I walked into a sushi restaurant in Saint-Germain-en-Laye to pitch a friend (the manager) an innovative idea: a QR-code menu.
Yes, back when QR codes were considered stranger than wasabi-flavored ice cream.
He looked at me the way a chef looks at a guest who asks for ketchup with sashimi: deeply suspicious.
Still, he said, “Alright, try it for a couple of weeks… but good luck convincing the clients.”
Spoiler alert: the clients were totally against it. Outraged, even.
Back then, scanning a code to see a menu was basically sorcery.
Fast-forward a few years, and today that memory feels like it belongs to another lifetime somewhere between the era of flip phones and the rise of avocado toast.
The Feeling of Being a VIP… and Could Tech Do That Too?
Like many regulars, I’m part of that unofficial club of people who go to the same cafés and restaurants often enough that the staff knows exactly what we eat.
You know the feeling:
They greet you by name, recite your go-to order before you even sit down, and suddenly you feel like Beyoncé on tour.
And let’s be honest it feels good.
It feels human.
It feels… irreplaceable.
But here’s the uncomfortable question:
What if technology could deliver that same VIP treatment?
What if AI could remember my usual dishes, suggest variations, warn me when my favorite dessert is back, and even recommend a drink based on my mood and past behavior?
Would we accept it?
Not fully… at least not yet.
But give it time. History proves we resist everything before we embrace it from elevators to Netflix to, yes, QR codes.
And Then Came the Robot Waiters
We’ve all seen them; the cute robot waiters gliding between tables, balancing plates like robotic ballet dancers. Some of us have even been served by one.
The first time I saw one, I was mesmerized.
I watched it weave through the dining room without hitting a stroller or a human leg, something humans struggle with every weekend at brunch.
Impressive? Yes.
A little sci-fi? Also yes.
And then the panic narrative begins:
“Robots are taking our jobs! The poor will get poorer, the rich will get richer!”
But is that really the whole story?
Are Waiters Really Disappearing? (Plot Twist: Not Exactly.)
Here’s what I believe and what many hospitality experts quietly admit:
Waiters aren’t vanishing; their role is evolving.
If a robot serves the plates, who welcomes guests?
Who senses your mood?
Who treats you like a VIP when you walk in?
Who brings that human warmth, humour, comfort, and connection that no algorithm can replicate?
The future waiter isn’t a plate-carrier
They’re a host, a storyteller, a guide, a socializer.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a robot bringing my sushi if a real human stands beside it to greet me, smile, ask about my day, and share a quick joke.
Hospitality, after all, is human at its core.
So… Where Do We Go From Here?
Technology will continue entering dining rooms, kitchens, and customer journeys.
Some tasks will be automated.
Others will be elevated.
But one thing remains constant:
People don’t go to restaurants only to eat.
They go to feel welcomed.
They go to feel seen.
They go to feel human.
And until AI learns to give that warm “Good to see you again!” exactly the way we love it, waiters or whatever we call them next will always have a place.
A different place, maybe.
But a very essential one.