A humanoid robot deployed at a Haidilao hot pot restaurant in San Jose, California created an unexpected scene during what was intended to be a routine promotional dance performance, knocking over tableware, smashing plates, and sending chopsticks flying across the dining area before restaurant staff were able to bring the situation under control. Video footage of the incident spread rapidly across social media, capturing the chaotic sequence of events in full, including a detail that only added to the absurdity of the scene — the orange apron the robot was wearing bore the words “I’m good” in large lettering across the front.
The incident is understood to have occurred during a promotional event tied to Disney’s Zootopia 2, held at the Haidilao franchise location in Southern California. Haidilao is operated by an international holding company with a known interest in automation, including the deployment of robot chefs and robotic food delivery systems in its restaurant operations. As the robot’s dance routine escalated beyond its intended parameters, staff were forced to intervene physically. One employee was filmed holding the robot by the back of its neck while simultaneously navigating a phone application, reportedly searching for the controls needed to switch the device off. In the end, it took three workers to fully restrain the robot, with all three periodically ducking to avoid being struck by its flailing, sauce-covered hands throughout the process.
The incident drew widespread commentary online, with viewers highlighting what many described as a glaring oversight in the robot’s design — the apparent absence of a physical emergency power-off button. One commenter noted that staff should not have had to resort to a smartphone application to deactivate the device in a moment of malfunction, arguing that a clearly accessible physical kill switch should be a baseline safety requirement for any robot operating in a public-facing environment. The observation resonated with many observers and raised broader questions about safety protocols and fail-safe mechanisms in the rapidly expanding deployment of humanoid robots in commercial and hospitality settings. The robot malfunction in San Jose comes just weeks after a separate incident in which another robot was escorted away by law enforcement after startling an elderly woman, suggesting that the industry’s enthusiasm for deploying humanoid robots in public spaces is running somewhat ahead of the safeguards needed to manage the unpredictable ways these machines can behave.
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