Trip to Robot Themed Restaurant

Whenever we move to a new city, a must-do list on our itinerary is to explore it. Beaches, Cafes, Restaurants, Sightseeing places and so on... 

While studying in school, I came across a program called OMG! Yeh Mera India, which brings fascinating people, locations, and events from around India to the front. In one of the episodes, the viewers were introduced to Robot Themed Restaurant in Chennai. The restaurant's specialty, as the name suggests, is the robots. The robots move around the restaurant using a magnetic strip on the floor to guide them to the diner's table. Each table has a specific number, which the 'human waiters' would program into them. The diners could take the plates from the trays of the robots, or a human waiter, who will be behind the robot at all times- just in case something goes wrong- will serve the dishes. 

When I saw this, I was intrigued. Maybe when I go to Chennai, I'll have to go to this place...

And I did go to Chennai. Four years later, I came to study at IIT Madras. I did not venture out much during my first semester, and the pandemic cut short the second semester. So by the time I returned to campus, I was already in my sixth semester. With the pandemic getting strong at any time, it was ideal that I make the most of the time available. So I decided to give it a go- I am going to the Robot Themed Restaurant!

I made a reservation for a table at 2pm (thought it was a fancy restaurant), got the directions and instructions from Deva uncle, who is from Chennai and runs an ironing center here in IIT Madras, that I should take any bus that goes to OMR. So I go to the bus stop outside IIT Madras and wait for a bus going to OMR. I waited 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes... Not one bus to OMR! 

I was thinking, 'How come there isn't a single bus to OMR, one of the most well-known places in Chennai?' (Later, I realized that OMR isn't a place. Its full form is Old Mahabalipuram Road. There are no bus stops for roads, are there? Let me know in the comments!)

With my reservation time fast approaching, I took a cab to the Robot Themed Restaurant. When I landed there, I was a bit surprised. The restaurant was nothing like what I thought it would be. It was on the second floor of a three-storied building and had a board that a regular store would have. I was wondering whether I had come to the right spot. Since I saw the board, I thought no harm in going inside and finding out. 

When I went upstairs, I realized I was in the right place. Thank God! 

The waiter asked me, have you made a reservation, sir? Yes, I did, under the name Neeraj. 

Then they showed me to a two-seater table. However, I was in for a rude shock. I was the only diner there! It got me wondering, something is not right here......

So I ordered chicken biryani and asked the waiters where the robots were. He told me they were in the workers' lounge behind the tables. I asked him if I could get a picture with them, to which he agreed. So, I entered the restricted workers' lounge and got a picture of the robots. Even the robot smiled, you see!!

And then the moment of magic! The robot started coming with my chicken biryani, and when it came to my table, it turned around and said in its robotic voice:

"Please take the dish from my tray. I have to serve other customers" (or something along those lines). 

I took my biryani from the tray, and the robot waiter went its way. After I was done with the dish, I asked the waiter, 

Don't you get a lot of customers even when you have the robots?

He replied, "Yes, sir, we do. It's just that you came in the afternoon, which is when there is hardly any business. If you had come at night, then the place would have been packed, and it would be really difficult to get the orders out in time because everyone wants to be served by the robots, while we only have two robots now". 

Well, everyone wants to be served by robots. That's why the people come to the restaurant in the first place!!!

Anyway, it was time to go home once the lunch was done and paid for. Uber in Chennai is really expensive. So I decided to catch a bus. But which bus to catch? The only place I know apart from IIT Madras, without looking at Google Maps, is Adyar, but I haven't even seen Adyar! So how will I know where to get off?

With prayers to God, I got on a bus that had Adyar as a stop, and I told the conductor to tell me when Adyar came, and when he told me that the bus had reached Adyar, I had to ask Google uncle to take me home (IIT Madras of course!). And Google uncle told me that I am 500m away from IIT. So what do I do? Walk!

So, I started walking back to campus. With the image of a cheeky robot smiling at my camera...

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