SANFORD, Fla. – Hollerbach’s German restaurant in Sanford is turning to automation during peak hours, testing BellaBot, a robotic food runner that transports orders from the kitchen to the bar.
Restaurant owner Theo Hollerbach said BellaBot has been operating for three days and is already allowing bartenders and servers to spend more time with customers rather than walking back and forth to collect food.
Hollerbach described the machine as a “horizontal food elevator,” complementing the vertical elevator that moves meals from the kitchen to the rooftop bar.
After following a programmed route from the kitchen to the Lodge bar, BellaBot arrives with food arranged on its trays. The bartender then unloads the order and takes it to the customer.
“Our kitchen is 150 feet from the bar area,” Hollerbach said. “And I like my bartenders to stay with the guests. And my servers didn’t want to get away from their guests.”
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The restaurant owner said BellaBot is designed primarily for busy periods, when employees are balancing several duties and the long walk between the kitchen and bar can delay service.
Hollerbach’s is paying $600 per month to operate BellaBot. He said that expense is reasonable compared with hiring a food runner for only a few hours during the busiest shifts.
“If I have a food runner, I only need them for two hours,” he said. “But then nobody comes to work for two hours, so I gotta pay them for four.”
The restaurant plans to keep BellaBot on the job for three months, evaluating its performance during Oktoberfest and other upcoming events before deciding how effective the technology is.
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