San Francisco Gets Burger Restaurant Staffed By Robots

As if science fiction had taught us nothing, a new San Francisco restaurant is turning robots loose, at least in the kitchen, to make hamburgers for us.

According to Tech Insider, a new restaurant staffed by a burger-flipping robot is planned for San Francisco at 680 Folsom St. The robots can make 400 burgers an hour, though it does not seem likely that they will often be called upon to do so. There would have to be a lot of burger-hungry customers waiting in line to make use of that capacity, but it could come in handy for supplying burgers for large events.

The robots are not going to be entirely running the show, however. A Craigslist job ad for a "restaurant generalist" has appeared, seeking a person who will do things like taking and fulfilling orders, maintaining equipment, cleaning, payroll, hauling trash, etc.

The ad indicates that, "The burgers sold at 680 Folsom will be fresh-ground and grilled to order, served on toasted brioche, and accented by an infinitely personalizable variety of fresh produce, seasonings, and sauces."

Robot servers and cooks have been gaining popularity lately, but not without incident. Earlier this year, several restaurants in China fired their robot servers for incompetence. The robots kept spilling soup and breaking down, and the restaurant owners decided actual human beings were just better.