Anime-style avatar waitresses, controlled by humans, now taking orders at Tokyo pub

Miraizaka has a futuristic new ordering system that it says AI can’t equal.

On its website, the Miraizaka izakaya (Japanese-style pub) branch in Tokyo’s Shinbashi neighborhood touts its delicious karaage fried chicken and relaxed interior design as reasons to make it your next destination for a bite to eat and a couple of cold ones. And yeah, looking at their photos, that appeal is definitely there.

▼ Karaage is never a bad idea.

Tasty fried chicken and a cozy interior, though, are things that you can find at a lot of restaurants. But you know what Miraizaka has that isn’t so easy to find elsewhere? Anime-style avatar staff to take your orders.

To be clear, these aren’t pre-recorded animations with sound clips that play when you place an order, and they’re not AI programs either. The avatars are remotely controlled by actual human beings, using a setup similar to the ones utilized by virtual YouTubers.

Izakaya are legitimate restaurants, not pseudo-dining paid-companionship providers like hostess bars. Nevertheless, the spoken interaction between izakaya customers and staff, even something as simple as a heartfelt “Thanks for dining with us today!” or a “What to you recommend?” adds to the experience. So while an increasing number of restaurants in Japan are shifting to touchscreen ordering systems to cut costs and overcome staffing shortages, Miraizaka is partnering with Tokyo-based startup Avatar Dining Lab for this hi-tech hybrid of real and virtual wait staff, specifically stating that they want to offer a human element that AI can’t provide.

In addition to the novelty factor and benefits for the restaurant, Avatar Dining Lab says that the system can also be a plus for workers, eliminating the need to commute to and from the restaurant and even allowing part-timers to more easily pick up shifts at multiple locations, perhaps even appearing as different avatars at different restaurants within the same time block.

Miraizaka’s avatars started serving customers at the Shinbashi location on July 29, and they’re scheduled to be on duty until August 29 (excepting August 11-16), between 6 and 11 p.m. While it’s only a one-month trial, Miraizaka has branches across Japan and is part of the Watami group, which manages multiple other izakaya chains too, so if the avatars prove popular in Shinbashi we could see them appearing in a lot more restaurants in the future.

Restaurant information
Miraizaka (Shinbashi Ginza-guchi Guard-shita branch(/ ミライザカ（新橋銀座口ガード下店）
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Shinbashi 1-3-10
東京都港区新橋1-3-10
Website

Source: PR Times
Top image: Miraizaka
Insert images: Miraizaka, PR Times
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