After struggling with staffing issues, Wilmington restaurant recruits the help of a robot

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Staffing has been difficult for several industries since the pandemic, and one restaurant in Wilmington came up with an unusual solution to help give staff a much-needed helping hand.

Nigel Langstone opened Artisano Pizza and Gelato near Wrightsville Beach about a year and a half ago. Since the restaurant has been open, he says he’s had issues keeping a full staff. Whether it be people applying and never showing up for interviews or accepting the job and not showing up for work — he’s consistently been in need of a little more help.

While attending the U.S. Pizza Competition in Orlando, Florida to represent Wilmington, Langstone got an idea.

“I saw this little robot running around at the same time I was getting texts from staff saying they couldn’t come into work and I thought I bet that’s quite a good idea but very expensive and it wasn’t very expensive, so I thought let’s give it a go,” he said.

Now, a robot the staff has affectionately named “Chris,” putters around the restaurant helping servers carry pizzas and bus tables. He can even show people to their tables and sing happy birthday.

The robot was made by a former engineer for Google through the company Bear Robotics based out of California. Langstone is leasing the robot for a year but hopes he is able to keep Chris on the staff permanently. Though a valuable member of the team, the robot is not taking the place of a human.

“I still have vacancies, he’s a bonus. He’s a helper. He’s not taking anyone’s job and he’s actually quite fun to work with,” Langstone said. “I think people enjoy him so much that it actually probably helps the staff with their tips. I think he’s the future, but he’s not a replacement future.”

And it certainly seems people are enjoying him. Each time Chris visits a table, the patron’s eyes light up and everyone at the table shares a laugh as the robot greets everyone with a “hey y’all, my name is Chris!”

“If anyone came in and they saw Chris, they would be like wow! This is so cool,” Peyton Johnson said. “I think they would enjoy it here a lot more and I think it’s driving a lot more customers into here.”

As far as Langstone and his staff are aware, Chris is the first robot employee in Wilmington.