Old Spaghetti Latest Factory To Succumb To Automation

All around the world, factories are taking to automation as a means to improve efficiency and maximize profits. It was therefore perhaps only a matter of time before Portland based chain The Old Spaghetti Factory followed suit.⁣
⁣
The company’s flagship South Waterfront restaurant has partnered with engineering and robotics leader Boston Dynamics in an effort to reverse their fortunes and stay competitive. “We’re used to developing robots that can run, jump, and even dance, so we figured makes one that could deliver lasagna and ladle soup would be easy,” explained Boston Dynamics project lead Billy Tran. “What we didn’t factor in was how difficult it would be to mimic the apathetic mediocrity that the restaurant’s patrons have come to expect from its waitstaff.”⁣
⁣
Tran’s team was presented with a unique challenge in creating a team of robotic restaurant staff that sort of cared. “The waiter machine I worked on can take 25,000 orders per second with 99.99% accuracy,” professed senior engineer Alison Barkley. “Imagine my surprise when I was asked to program in a bug that made it record ‘extra mushrooms’ every seventh time someone requests no mushrooms!”
⁣
Once the correct balance of robotic precision and human apathy was struck, everything fell into place. Guests can now expect their rubbery chicken marsala, freezer burnt spumoni and limp salads within seconds. ⁣