I was served by talking robots at a sci-fi restaurant. It was fun but the hospitality sector could easily survive without them.

"Amy" and "Sparky" the robots inside Robotazia.Kate Duffy/Insider

• Robots are becoming more popular in hospitality and I wanted to see what the hype was about.
• I went to a sci-fi restaurant where I was served nachos by chatty, smiling robots.

I visited "Robotazia," a sci-fi restaurant full of different types of robots, to see what it was like being served by human-like, talking machines.

"Sparky" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

Robotazia, based in Milton Keynes, north-west of London, employs 20 staff and four robots, owners Joy Gittens and Mark Swannell told Insider.

Outside of robot restaurant in Milton Keynes      Kate Duffy/Insider

The restaurant bought the four server robots, which all look similar to "Ella" pictured below, from Japan.

"Ella" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

Apart from the four server robots, all of the other robots in the restaurant were made out of recycled metals and other materials.

Reporter with robot outside Robotazia restaurant      Kate Duffy/Insider

I sat in one of the booths where a human server took my order.

Inside Robotazia restaurant      Kate Duffy/Insider

The robots have a runway which they roll up and down, delivering food to guests. One side of the booth is blocked off so people don't disrupt the robots' flow.

"Ella" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

The first robot that came to say hello was called "Sparky," who was built by Swannell. Although Sparky was friendly and, dare I say it, witty, I preferred chatting to a human.

"Sparky" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

After Sparky waved goodbye, "Amy" rolled over to my table to deliver the nachos I ordered.

"Amy" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

After I took my bowl of nachos off the tray, Amy told me to touch her hand to let her know when I was finished with her service. She replied "bon appetit" — I was impressed.

"Amy" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

Gittens said the robots can turn around and roll off if they detect a lot of metal jewellery on a guest. A tear also appears on their face if a person gets too close to them, she said.

"Amy" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

"Josh" smoothly passed down the aisle with food for another table.

Kate Duffy/Insider

The four robots are costly and require maintenance every week, Swannell said, adding that usually, every Tuesday he has to fix or tweak something on them. They're more expensive than hiring human servers, he said.

"Josh" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

On one busy Saturday, Gittens said that one of the robots said it needed to "recharge" and returned to the dock to refill its batteries.

"Ella" the robot inside Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

Both owners emphasized how the robots are not designed to replace humans and are purely a fun feature of the restaurant. With the hospitality industry increasingly turning to robotics, especially amid the labor shortage, it dawned on me how valuable the human experience is during table service.

Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider

Overall, being served by chatty, smiling robots was a fun experience. But I wouldn't swap them for human servers!

"Sparky" the robot insider Robotazia      Kate Duffy/Insider