Serving Robots: Management and Applications for Restaurant Business Sustainability

This study focuses on the attributes of serving robots, which include “anthropomorphism,” “animacy,” “likeability,” “intelligence,” and “safety,” and their effect on restaurant customers. The study aims to provide a sustainable development model for the restaurant business, which is suffering from a shortage of manpower. The study identifies the relationships among serving robots’ attributes, perceived benefits, perceived risks, perceived value, satisfaction, and revisit intention of customers. An online survey was conducted with customers, aged eighteen years or older, of restaurants that use serving robots. A total of 294 surveys were used for the final analysis. The results indicate that there are statistically significant relationships between “likeability” and perceived benefits, “intelligence” and perceived benefits, “safety” and perceived benefits, and “safety” and perceived risks. It also confirms that perceived benefits have a positive effect on perceived value, and perceived value has a positive effect on satisfaction and revisit intention. Moreover, satisfaction has a positive effect on revisit intention. Based on these findings, several meaningful theoretical and practical implications that can lead to the sustainability of restaurants are presented.