Bear Robotics

Industry| Hospitality Robotics
Founded| 2017; 8 years ago (2017)
Headquarters| Redwood City, California, USA

Number of locations

| 3

Key people

* John Ha (CEO)
* Juan Higueros (COO)
* Fangwei Li (CTO)

Website| bearrobotics.ai

Bear Robotics is an American award-winning engineering and robotics design company headquartered in Redwood City, California with operations across the United States, and Korea.[1][2][3] Founded in 2017, Bear Robotics is best known for its range of bespoke AMRs designed for the foodservice and hospitality industry.[4][5]

The business has received widespread appreciation for the development of Servi, a dynamic, highly mobile robot that improves restaurant operational efficiency and service quality.[6][7] Penny has been commercially accessible since 2017, making it Bear Robotics' first commercially available robot, while the company has expressed its intention to commercialize additional robots as well, and has also launched Servi.[8][9]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Products
* 2.1 Penny
* 2.2 Servi
* 3 Awards
* 4 Funding
* 5 Gallery
* 6 In the media
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## History[edit]

Bear Robotics was established in 2017 by a team of tech entrepreneurs and restaurant experts with the aim to revolutionize the hospitality space by leveraging state-of-the-art technology.[10][11] Initially, after raising $750K in an angel investment round, Bear Robotics began its operations out of Redwood City, California.[12][13]

In 2018, Bear Robotics raised $2.8M in a seed investment round to further expand the business. In the same year CEO, John Ha delivered the keynote on “The Future of Restaurants” at the National Restaurant Association Show.[14] A year later the company won the Kitchen Innovations award for Penny.[15][16]

In 2020, Bear Robotics raised $32M in a Series A investment round to support the launch of Servi.[17][18] In the same year, the company collaborated with SoftBank Robotics to facilitate the mass production model - Servi.[19][20]

Since its inception, Bear Robotics has been innovating to launch smarter solutions that automate repetitive tasks and elevate the restaurant experiences all the while improving server workflow.[21][22] It has fostered numerous partnerships with industry giants including Marriott,[23] Morrison Living, Denny’s, Google, SoftBank,[24][25] Sergio’s, and The Ameswell Hotel to name a few.[26][27]

## Products[edit]

### Penny[edit]

Bear Robotics debuted Penny at the 2018 National Restaurant Association trade show in Chicago.[28][29] Penny is a self-driving robot for food service that delivers food, drinks, and empty dishes to-and-from the kitchen.[30][31][32] It is designed to help servers spend more time with customers by doing dirty and physical work for them.[33] Penny can run in various food service environments.[34][35]

### Servi[edit]

An upgraded version of Penny, Servi is a self-driving robot solution for serving, food running, table bussing, and beyond.[36][37][38] Servi has a cylindrical shape and can hold up to three tiers of carrying surface.[39] It comes with two trays and a battery life of up to 12 hours.[40] This robot can be controlled with an external tablet or attached touchscreen.[41][42] This robot was designed to support restaurant staff by expanding stations and increasing service capacity without wasting time dashing between tables.[43][44] Servi comes with an advanced obstacle-avoiding technology and is designed to improve efficiency without the constant back-and-forth of food running and table bussing.[45][46] The idea of Servi is to elevate the overall customer experience for better tips and stellar reviews.[47][48] Servi also comes as a mini version that is optimized for bar running, drink delivery, and bussing.[49][50][51]

## Awards[edit]

* 2019: Kitchen Innovations Award
* 2019 World Changing Ideas Award
* 2020 Hospitality Innovation Planet Award
* 2021 IDA Design Award

## Funding[edit]

Bear Robotics has raised a total of $34.8M in funding over four rounds.

## Gallery[edit]

*   *   *   *

## In the media[edit]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ "Bear Robotics - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding". Crunchbase. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
2. ↑ "The Ameswell, Silicon Valley's New Design + Independent Hotel". www.luxurytravelmagazine.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
3. ↑ "Sawatdee's fix for restaurant staffing problems: A robot". Twin Cities. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
4. ↑ Staff, Janelle Nanos Globe; January 3, Updated. "A Kendall Square restaurant is experimenting with a robot server: 'It's a big help' - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
5. ↑ "INTERVIEW Robots offer humans more time for interaction". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
6. ↑ "Trusting technology: Shaping how automation is accepted in the workplace". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
7. ↑ "Robots and conveyor belts: Jacky Li talks kitchen tech at Roger Bar and Restaurant | Peninsula Foodist | The Peninsula Foodist | Palo Alto Online |". www.paloaltoonline.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
8. ↑ "Future-proofing your business for 2022". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
9. ↑ Morrissey, Janet (19 October 2021). "Desperate for Workers, Restaurants Turn to Robots". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
10. ↑ "Bear Robotics". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
11. ↑ Management 2022 (https://modernrestaurantmanagement.com), Modern Restaurant (8 June 2019). "Top Innovations from the National Restaurant Association Show | Modern Restaurant Management | The Business of Eating & Restaurant Management News". Modern Restaurant Management. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
12. ↑ Council, Florida Technology (25 January 2022). "Florida Technology Council Announces Partnership with Bear Robotics". FL Tech Council. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
13. ↑ "For restaurants, the economic recovery is 'moving in reverse' - CNN Video". Retrieved 2 March 2022.
14. ↑ "Boca Raton senior community uses robot to help with food service". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
15. ↑ Honeycutt, Star Connor, Michael Leigh, Annette Weston and Jordan (20 September 2021). "ENC restaurant testing the waters with a robot waiter". WCTI. Retrieved 2 March 2022.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. ↑ "Server robot: Austin restaurant's investment helps with fast, contactless service". KXAN Austin. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
17. ↑ "Food runner robot serves up staff, resident satisfaction in continuing care retirement community". McKnight's Senior Living. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
18. ↑ "2021 Restaurant Tech EcoSystem: Serving Up a Digital Lifeline". The Spoon. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
19. ↑ Bandoim, Lana. "Mass Production Of A Self-Driving Restaurant Robot Is Coming". Forbes. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
20. ↑ caitlin.anderson@apgecm.com, Caitlin Anderson. "Rosie the robot serves Edina seniors". hometownsource.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
21. ↑ "How 3D robots can aid hotels amid labor shortages". www.phocuswire.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
22. ↑ Ha, John (22 January 2020). "Why we are Transforming the Future of Restaurants with Robots". Medium. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
23. ↑ "Marriott Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel Partners with Bear Robotics to Hire its First Ever Full-Time Robot Employee, Betty Bot". Hospitality Net. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
24. ↑ "Is Penny, the robot food runner from Bear Robotics, headed for mass production with its $32M investment led by Softbank?". Nation's Restaurant News. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
25. ↑ "Robots That Bake Bread, Make a Salad, And Deliver Takeout Are Coming". Digital Trends. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
26. ↑ "Florida restaurant using robots to fight staff shortages". Fox News. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
27. ↑ "Food robotics pioneers take orders for growing industry appetite". The Robot Report. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
28. ↑ "Bear Robotics Launches Second-Gen Restaurant Robot, Adds Swappable Tray System". The Spoon. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
29. ↑ "5 high-tech innovations at the NRA Show". Restaurant Dive. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
30. ↑ Olson, rea (17 December 2021). "Retirement community welcomes new staff member: a robot". East Idaho News. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
31. ↑ Mennecke, words & photos by Rebecca. "One E.C. Restaurant May Have an Answer to the National Labor Shortage: Robotic Servers". volumeone.org. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
32. ↑ "Technology and the transformation of small business: How to prepare your team for the future". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
33. ↑ Luna, Nancy. "Meet 33 tech power players revolutionizing how restaurants operate and diners eat". Business Insider. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
34. ↑ "Robot server helps with demand at valley restaurant". KLAS. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
35. ↑ Writer, KAYLA PANU, Valley Breeze Staff. "At Angelo's, state celebrates reopening of restaurants". The Valley Breeze. Retrieved 2 March 2022.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
36. ↑ Ciampa, Gail. "Coming to a restaurant near you? My name is Servi. I'll be your (robotic) food runner". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
37. ↑ "Servi: An Autonomous Service Robot for Restaurants". Core77. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
38. ↑ jthorington@postregister.com, By JAKOB THORINGTON. "Meet Servi the robot, a one-of-its-kind server in Idaho Falls". Post Register. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
39. ↑ "'These companies will really do anything but give people raises': Viral TikTok of Chili's robot server sparks debate". The Daily Dot. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
40. ↑ Writers, Denise Allabaugh and Robert Tomkavage Staff. "Robots now serving at Denny's in Wilkes-Barre, Dickson City". Hazleton Standard Speaker. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
41. ↑ Carroll, Patrick (22 October 2021). "A Florida Restaurant Chain Introduced Robot Waiters. Now Their Human Servers Are Getting Higher Tips | Patrick Carroll". fee.org. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
42. ↑ "Hawks Cay Resort employs the help of robots to improve guest experience". TravelDailyNews International. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
43. ↑ "As Labor Shortages Continue, Could Robots Provide An Answer?". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
44. ↑ "Alt-Sushi, Hay Straws, and Better Tech Took Center Stage at This Year's National Restaurant Association Show". The Spoon. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
45. ↑ "The Media Was Fascinated with a TikTok Video of a Robot at Denny's. Here's What it Means". The Spoon. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
46. ↑ "Bear Robotics, Inc. on LinkedIn: Fox interview with Carlos Gazitua of Sergio's discussing Servi from". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
47. ↑ "Using Robotics to Elevate Experiences in Restaurants, Hotels, and Senior Living Spaces | By Fred DeMicco and Juan Higueros". Hospitality Net. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
48. ↑ May 21, Sponsored content from our partner The National Restaurant Association® on. "SuperSession: Get ready for the tech revolution". Restaurant Business. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
49. ↑ "Monster Pho's new restaurant is packed with positivity and robots". Berkeleyside. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
50. ↑ "Burger restaurant uses robot to tackle labor shortage in Lillington". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
51. ↑ Tribune, Gita Sitaramiah Star. "Robots now deliver food, bus tables at Sawatdee". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2 March 2022.

## External links[edit]

* Official Website
* Bear Robotics on Facebook
* Bear Robotics on Instagram
* Bear Robotics's channel on YouTube
* Bear Robotics on Twitter
* Bear Robotics on LinkedIn on LinkedIn