Dressed in a chef’s outfit – hat and all – a viral video shows a robot waiter smoothly taking orders from customers at Koshary Abou Tarek, one of Egypt’s most popular koshary restaurants. Nicknamed ‘Om El-Sa’ad’ by social media users, the robot’s debut garnered intrigue, fascination, and jokes from commenters. “The staff are dancing with the robot, completely unaware that one day it will take over,” a user commented jokingly on a video showing restaurant staff dancing around the robot. The 100-kilogram, anime-style robot, formally called ‘Kosheir’ by the restaurant, works for 12 continuous hours before needing a few hours of recharging. Technicians programmed the robot with phrases commonly used in the restaurant to facilitate customer interactions. Kosheir is currently undergoing a trial period, pending its permanent addition to the staff. It also remains unclear whether the restaurant envisions more robots joining in the future or not. WHAT’S KOSHARY? Koshary is one of Egypt’s most popular national dishes, often considered ‘food for the masses’. Better known as a street food rather than a luxury meal, it consists of pasta, rice, hummus, lentils, onions, garlic and tomato sauce. Kohsary Abou Tarek,…
