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University of Houston testing new robot waiter
“What we’re finding is guests in the restaurant are coming because of the robot,” said college Dean Dennis Reynolds.
HOUSTON, Texas — The University of Houston is testing a new research project they’re calling the “future of food service.”
Eric’s restaurant on the University of Houston campus serves more than just a menu. It’s also a training ground for students studying hospitality at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership.
“The students feel like they own it. They work here. It’s their restaurant,” Dean Dennis Reynolds said.
More than 80% of restaurant employees are students, but about a month ago, the university hired a new, robotic server.
“What we’re finding is guests in the restaurant are coming because of the robot,” Reynolds said.
It’s a scene straight out of ‘The Jetsons,’ except unlike ‘Rosie,’ ‘Servi’ is the strong, silent type, unless you get in her way.
“Excuse me,” ‘Servi’ said.
The university got the robot to give students hands-on training for tomorrow.
“My goal was to be the first restaurant in the city of Houston to have a robotic server,” Reynolds said. “A lot of people, unfortunately, are teaching kind of what we did 20 years ago, and that’s not going to help the student 10 years from now. So we want the students to see what is the future and this is the future.”
The robot is currently serving as a food runner at the restaurant. She’s first plated and then programmed. Once she arrives at the table, the waiter delivers the food.
“Press the number of the table that you’re sending to and press go,” Executive Chef Tanner Lucas said. “What Servi is going to allow us to do is stay on the floor and really get to interact with our guests. And I think that’s where the heart of hospitality really lies.”
Servi is staying in the restaurant, but the university hopes to one day get more robots, possibly to help out with catering in the banquet halls or even room service in their hotel.
“Can you imagine going to a reception in our big ballroom and having this thing just passing hors d’oeuvres,” Reynolds said.
And they’re not just putting the robot to work, they’re using it for research.
“The data will also tell us what guests think,” Reynolds said.
And the possibilities are endless, because, ready or not, the future is here, no matter how you slice it.
“We just don’t know where this can go,” Reynolds said.
The food words we love to hate
Editor’s Note: Eat Drink D-FW is hosted by Dallas Morning News Food Editor Erin Booke with food reporters Sarah Blaskovich and Claire Ballor. Each week, our food journalists dish, debate and analyze local restaurant news, food and drink trends, tips for cooking and shopping, and other obsessions. You’ll also hear from chefs, farmers and foodies like yourself as we explore the people who made D-FW one of the most vibrant, diverse and ambitious food scenes in the country.
Eat Drink D-FW from The Dallas Morning News is made possible by Central Market. All editorial decisions are made by The News.
The food words we love to hate
Everyone has food words that give them that “ick” feeling. Listen as host Erin Booke talks with food writers Sarah Blaskovich and Claire Ballor about the food words they love to hate. Can you guess which ones they are? And are the words actually annoying, or are people just annoying using them? Then writer Amanda Albee talks with Dallas chef Jessica Alonzo of Native Ferments TX — aka the “pickle Jedi” — about her most popular mustards and other vinegar-y treats. The team also dives into the Best Things they ate recently, which includes a cream cheese appetizer, a favorite dinner spot, and a kid-friendly cabbage soup.
In case you missed it
10 Colorado Christmas beers to drink this season, from stouts to IPAs
For Colorado beer drinkers, there’s no better time of year than the weeks between Halloween and Christmas, because that’s when local breweries load up their sleighs full of big, rich beers and gift them to all of us, regardless of whether we’ve been naughty or nice.
While 2022 has seen fewer big (and expensive) releases thanks to belt tightening after a brutal two years of pandemic and inflation-related woes, there are still plenty of delicious offerings to unwrap, including new ones from the likes of Ska, New Belgium and Great Divide.
Here are 10 that should put you in the mood for some fa-la-la.
Great Divide Brewing Gingerbread Yeti Imperial Stout
Great Divide has added to its already extensive lineup of seasonally flavored Yetis by canning Gingerbread Yeti for the first time. Made with a blend of holiday spices, honey and vanilla, the 9.5% ABV beer is backed by the brewery’s classic roast imperial stout flavors of chocolate malt and coffee. It is on draft and available in 19.2oz cans.
2201 Arapahoe St. and 1812 35th St., Denver; greatdivide.com
Woods Boss Brewing Magical Narwhal Unicorn Candy Cane Stout
Made with nearly 15 pounds of candy canes, this amazingly named beer carries all the chocolate peppermint flavors of the season. Put together as “cheers to our friends, family and beer lovers everywhere,” it “feels like a big, warm hug piled with heaps of candy canes straight from the North Pole,” the brewery said. It’s available on draft and in canned four-packs at the taproom.
2210 California St., Denver; woodsbossbrewing.com
Odd13 Brewing Codename Holidayfan
Brewed with powerfully flavored Citra, Simcoe and Eukuanot hops, Holidayfan is an absolute whopper of a triple IPA, coming in at 10% ABV. It began as a version of the brewery’s flagship Codename: Superfan, but has since taken on a life of its own. The label is one of the few to feature not just Christmas cheer but also Hanukkah happiness and a nod to Festivus.
301 E. Simpson St., Lafayette; odd13brewing.com
Diebolt Brewing Joyeux Noël Spiced Winter Lager
Diebolt Brewing has taken a slightly different approach to this winter warmer. Although it is spiced with sweet orange peel and Ceylon cinnamon sticks, Joyeux Noël was brewed as a lager, which means it has a lighter feel on the palate. The addition of Belgian candi syrup gives it a sweet finish that complements its rich malt bill. It is on draft and available in cans to go. (Oh, and Diebolt also releases Jingle Juice, brewed with three kinds of hops, on Dec. 3.)
3855 Mariposa St., Denver; dieboltbrewing.com
River North Brewery Chocolate Peppermint Candy Cane Imperial Porter
This fun collaboration is between a century-old Denver stalwart, Hammond’s Candies, and a newer one, River North Brewery, both of which have operations along North Washington Street. Inspired by Hammond’s chocolate cream-filled candy canes, this 12.5% ABV porter will be on tap and in bottles at both River North taprooms starting on Saturday, Dec. 3.
3400 Blake St. and 6021 Washington St., Denver; rivernorthbrewery.com
Sanitas Brewing Nutcracker IPA
Here’s the backstory behind this citrusy, piney IPA, brewed with Talus and Centennial hops: When brewery co-founder Michael Memsic and his wife, Arlynn, found out they were having a second child, their firstborn daughter, Ayla, “was equally excited, Sanitas said. Since it was around the holidays, Ayla decided to call the child Baby Nutcracker. “A two-year-old running around telling everyone that mom and dad are having a ‘Baby Nutcracker’ became an unforgettable family story, and the family nickname stuck.” Get the beer on draft or in cans to go.
3550 Frontier Ave., Boulder; sanitasbrewing.com
New Belgium Brewing Holiday Ale
New Belgium has delivered a new winter seasonal for 2022 called Holiday Ale. It offers “festive aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg followed by flavors of cranberry, orange and a pinch of brown sugar,” according to the Fort Collins brewery. Coming in at 7.5% ABV, it’s available in six packs.
500 Linden St., Fort Collins; newbelgium.com
Burns Family Artisan Ales Buche de Noel
Burns specializes in brewing high-octane beers, and Buche de Noel, which will be released on Saturday, Dec. 3, there are no exceptions. The 15.6% ABV bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout was designed to taste like the traditional Christmastime chocolate log cakes served in France, Belgium and other countries. Although no flavorings were added to the beer, it carries notes of milky cocoa, dark fruit and vanilla. Buche is an annual tradition for Burns.
2505 W. Second Ave., #Unit 13, Denver; burnsalesdenver.com
