A MIND OF ITS OWN

Restaurant Staff Struggle to Restrain Dancing Robot Causing Dining Room Chaos

A California hot-pot chain’s robo-entertainer went haywire after a human accidentally triggered its high-energy setting.

A dancing robot lost the plot after a staff member hit the wrong button, prompting it to wreck the restaurant. A video circulating on social media shows three employees at a Haidilao hot-pot restaurant in Cupertino, California, desperately trying to restrain a wildly flailing machine while fumbling with a remote control. The robot’s arms swung with enough force to rattle the dining room, though the chaos was mercifully brief. Someone had “pressed the ‘crazy dance’ in a tight space,” an employee explained, calling it straightforward human error. Despite the clash of dinnerware audible on the video, damage was limited to “a few spilled sauces.” The remote-controlled robot is normally programmed to dance, say hello, make a heart shape, offer a high-five, or shake hands. It does not serve food. All is now back to normal, staff said. The robot is standing sentry near the front door. Haidilao’s corporate offices have yet to issue a statement. As China’s largest hot-pot chain, the company operates dozens of restaurants from Indonesia to Canada, including two in the Bay Area.

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