Robot waitress draws customers to Pakistani pizza joint

The owner says he wrapped a scarf around the robot’s neck so as not to offend conservative patrons.

The owners of a pizza shop in Pakistan said business was booming now that they had introduced a robot waitress.

A robot waitress serves food to customers at a pizza restaurant in Multan, Pakistan. (AP Photo)

Osama Jafri, the engineer who designed the 25-kilogram (55-pound) robot, said it can greet customers and carry pizzas to their tables.

The robot resembles a short, slender woman wearing a long dress and apron.

He said he wrapped a scarf around the robot’s neck so as not to offend conservative patrons.

A customer picks up a pizza from a tray carried by a robot waitress at a pizza restaurant in Multan. (AFP Photo)

Jafri said sales at Pizza.com, in the town of Multan, doubled since the robot was unveiled in February. Jafri’s father Aziz, who owns the restaurant, said he had three more robot waitresses and planned to open a new branch.

He said, “I used to sell pizzas, but now restaurant owners want to buy robots from me.”