Viral video: Robot smashes plates in restaurant, then starts dancing. Staff tries hard to stop it

Staff were forced to wrestle a glitched humanoid robot after it went rogue, smashing plates and swinging its arms uncontrollably.

A video has surfaced online showing a robot breaking dishes and swinging its metallic arms uncontrollably at a restaurant. The clip further captures a staff member of the establishment trying to stop the device.

Snippets from a video showing a robot smashing plates. (Screengrab (X))

According to a few social media users, the incident took place at a restaurant in San Jose, California. However, it is unclear when the video was captured. HT.com has not independently verified the video.

What does the video show?

In the clip, a robot wearing an orange apron with the words “I’m Good” written on it is seen smashing plates kept on a counter. A woman, presumably a member of the staff, is holding it tightly, trying to get it under control.

As the patrons in the eatery keep looking at the scene, someone is heard laughing loudly in the background. The video is going viral across social media, with people sharing it on various platforms.

What did social media say?

The viral video sparked a wave of hilarious reactions online, with social media users finding the robot's chaotic plate-smashing glitch both alarming and incredibly funny.

An individual asked Grok, “What robot model is that?” The AI chatbot answered, “It's a Zootopia-themed humanoid dancing robot (with the 'I'm Good' apron featuring Nick Wilde the fox) at a Haidilao hotpot spot in San Jose, CA. Part of their Disney collab promo. Exact model isn't named in reports—likely a generic Chinese-made service/entertainment bot that glitched mid-dance and wouldn't power down. The staff had to wrestle it!”

Another posted, “Go home, robot, you're drunk.” A third commented, “In a year or two, we will be seeing so many crazy videos like this. Several humanoid companies will begin testing home and consumer-facing business robots soon. So many things will go wrong.” A fourth wrote, “I’ve worked in factories for years, and all machinery must have an e-stop. Why don’t these things just have a big red stop button on their heads in case they go nuts? It wouldn’t have to kill the power, just put it in standby or something.” A few reacted to the post with laughing-out-loud emoticons.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)