Forget the tipping debate - waiting staff could be obsolete if a new German automated restaurant catches on.

Bagger’s in Nuremberg is being called a “robot restaurant”. It sounds great - ordering food from lifelike androids would surely be an exciting start to any meal - but sadly the ‘robots’ are of the less fun computerised menu variety. Each guest orders their meal via a touch screen monitor, the orders get sent direct to the kitchen and the food is prepared by a human chef (borrrring!), labelled and sent out to the table on a precarious-looking spiral slide. Don’t order the soup.

The brains behind Bagger’s clearly want to make mealtimes cheaper and more efficient for both the customer and the restaurant, but isn’t eating out supposed to be fun? Guests are encouraged to use the SMS and email facilities on the touchscreens while they wait for their dinner to come whooshing down the slide - but shouldn’t they be encouraged to socialise with each other instead?

This system might be just the ticket for the busy executive’s quick refuelling stop but the human element is a big part of the experience of dining out. Would you miss the buzz of people dashing about carrying plates of food or do you think it all sounds like a great idea? What do you think?

Photo credit: tin robot by Dirty Bunny (CC License)