x
Breaking News
More () »

First robot waitress in Fort Smith serving customers at bubble tea restaurant

Smiling Cup Bubble Tea debuted the first-ever robot waitress in Fort Smith.

FORT SMITH, Ark. — A bubble tea shop in Fort Smith has found a new way to serve its customers, but it doesn’t come in the form of a human.

Smiling Cup Bubble Tea has the first-ever robot waitress in Fort Smith, and her name is Bella. The robot server is programmed to serve drinks to any table in the shop, but that’s not all she can do.

“She can sing Happy Birthday and you can sense her like this, and you can ask her to answer something,” said Tim Nguyen, Smiling Cup Bubble Tea worker.

You may see Bella roaming around the shop and even playing music. She's also a huge hit with families.

“We love the little boba robot, it’s a bo-bot!” customer Serena Taylor said.

The shop has been getting a lot of customers coming in to see the robot after seeing posts on Facebook.

“I saw it, and I just had to get down here as soon as I could to try it out…It’s all happening so fast though. I never thought I’d seen one of these guys in Fort Smith,” Taylor said.

And people coming to the boba shop were blown away by the robot.

“That’s like next-gen, you know, what I mean, that’s like next level,” a Smiling Cup Bubble Tea customer said.

“I didn’t know she sings!” customer Ezra said. 

You can find Bella serving all day during store hours, so next time you visit, you can be served by a robot right here in Arkansas.

Next weekend, they’re opening a second location with another robot waitress.

Follow 5NEWS on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:

Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device

To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.

Before You Leave, Check This Out