Photo Credit: Huanqiu.com

Haidilao—famous hotpot restaurant chain from China—opens the world’s first restaurant run by robots in Beijing.

No, this isn’t something out of a sci-fi movie. It’s very much real, and it won’t be long before they bring it from Beijing to Singapore too.

Thanks to a collaboration with between Haidilao International Holding Ltd. and Panasonic Corporation, this joint venture sees to the world’s first eatery with a fully automated kitchen and staff. That’s right; from taking orders, preparations and delivering raw meat and vegetables to the table, the robots do it all.

Photo Credit: WinShang.com

It’s hardly surprising, considering that China is so far ahead with its cashless technology and automated services. This automation will also lower labour cost and boost efficiency, boosting Haidilao’s plan to expand worldwide. It is, after all, difficult to expand to that size in terms of manpower alone, so this shift away from manual labour is really just part and parcel to reach their goal of 5,000 outlets worldwide.

What do you think about it? Sooner or later, the only other human faces you’d see in Haidilao are just your fellow diners. Not going to lie though, we’d love to see a robot fling around some hand-stretched noodles too.