Havana -For Sonia Pérez, the doorway to the Doña Alicia restaurant in Havana felt that she was coming into a film. Though Cuba struggles with energy interruptions and technological deficiency, this restaurant jumped within the 21st century with digital menus, help activated with Alexa, baths with out contact and even a robotic that gives meals.
“I assumed I used to be in a cartoon film!” mentioned the 64-year-old authorities worker, marveling on the distinction with the technological realities outdoors. “I want to have extra of them in Cuba … We’re actually very behind in know-how.”
Whereas odd worldwide, such automation is a fancy section in Cuba, because of the frequent reductions of the island and lack of contemporary know-how.
Open seven years in the past, the restaurant progressively embraced the know-how, beginning with tablets at meals, adopted by Alexa Providers and culminating within the arrival of Doña Alicia-a robotic who gives meals named after the owner-which helps human waiters now within the eating room.
The visitors are greeted with digital menus on the screens on their tables, permitting them to sail and order conventional Cuban dishes, akin to tasty pork, pasta and candy desserts. The bar continues to enhance the expertise by providing drinks akin to Mojitos or Daiquiris contemporary. Human servers are helpful for the least skilled.
The costs align with these of different personal eating places, which makes them unnatural for the Cuban common and reflecting the island’s inflation.
Regardless of the challenges of entry to the restricted and sometimes unsure web entry (the cellular web has change into unfold solely in 2018, and the interruptions are frequent because of the power disaster), Doña Alicia appears to sail in these obstacles.
Supervisor Yadiel Hernández believes that technological progress helps to draw clients by creating a novel and enticing culinary expertise in Havana.
“I observed a change,” Hernández mentioned. “Each youngsters and adults imagine that it’s fascinating for a robotic assistant to carry meals to the desk … it’s a distinctive expertise.”
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