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(InvestigateTV) — Have you seen robot servers zipping around a restaurant near you?

Some of these servers deliver food to your table and carry dishes to the kitchen. Some can talk. Some can even sing Happy Birthday.

But what is their future in the restaurant industry?

According to the National Restaurant Association, the industry was still down 450,000 jobs in 2023 when compared to pre-pandemic levels.

That’s the largest employment deficit in the country.

For some, this automation is seen as a creative answer to those shortages.

Others say these restaurant robots are just a gimmick and the solution needs to start with human employees.

Despite the debate, tens of thousands are now working in dining rooms around the world.

Reporter Heather Graf spent the day with one of them. Watch the full story in the above video.

Solution or Gimmick: what role will robots play in the future of the restaurant industry?