First AI restaurant closes its doors already: what went wrong?

It was supposed to become ‘the restaurant of the future’. But that future was short-lived. About a year after opening, AI restaurant BUNKR in Eindhoven is closing its doors already. What went wrong?

It seemed like an incredibly good idea: a restaurant powered by artificial intelligence. All the problems the hospitality industry faces – staff shortages, high purchasing costs and food waste – would be tackled by smart AI techniques. Thanks to AI, BUNKR was supposed to save as much as 15 to 20 percent on staff costs. A worthy goal, but it was not achieved.

First-ever AI restaurant

Let’s go back to a little under a year ago, to the autumn of 2023. That was when BUNKR first opened its doors. The restaurant promised its guests a special experience. Unique, even; it was the very first AI restaurant in the Netherlands. Upon arrival, guests were welcomed by an avatar. A light connected to the reserved table then lit up. Did guests want to order? They could chat or talk via the app. That app was an impressive piece of AI technology in its own right. When guests entered their food preferences, they were shown a suggestive menu. Including matching wines or other drinks.

Anyone imagining an AI restaurant probably pictures robots walking around the restaurant. In the ideal AI world, there are no people. That was not the case at BUNKR; guests were simply served at their tables. But something went wrong in managing the guests’ expectations.

Expectations set too high

Robin Voermans, BUNKR’s director, tells Misset Horeca that guests looked very surprised when an employee came to their table. To the guests, that did not quite fit the image of AI. Voermans feels that he himself created expectations that were too high beforehand. ‘’We promoted ourselves quite heavily in the media. Perhaps we could have handled that differently”, he admits to Misset Horeca. All in all, the number of guests BUNKR managed to attract was disappointing. Poor parking facilities did not really help either.

A different future

Was BUNKR in Eindhoven therefore one complete failure? No, because as an events venue, BUNKR is doing extremely well. While visitor numbers at the restaurant were disappointing, event enquiries kept increasing. The choice was therefore an easy one for Voermans and his team: no more restaurant, but a successful events venue.

Launching something new in the hospitality industry is not easy. It takes quite a bit of courage. Voermans is therefore proud. And he knows that the idea behind it was a good one: finding solutions for problems affecting the hospitality industry. Who knows how the future of AI in hospitality will develop in the years to come. I am almost certain that one day there will indeed be a robot standing at your table with your plate of pasta and matching red wine. In fact, we have seen that before.

Also read:

• 17 of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the Netherlands
• These are the 8 most common types of hospitality guests: which type are you?
• Watch out for these hospitality industry tricks!

Source: Misset Horeca, image: Restaurant Bunkr