A restaurant in Karachi has introduced two humanoid robots to serve food to customers, marking an unusual sight on the city’s dining scene. The Sicilian Restaurant, a fast food chain located on Shaheed-e-Millat Road, follows a mafia inspired theme and serves burgers, deep dish pizzas, steaks and desserts, but its use of robot waiters named Robia and Jojo has become the bigger draw for many visitors.
The robots, fitted with white spherical heads and dark helmet visors, wheel over to tables wearing sleeveless maroon tops paired with long black shawls, delivering food trays directly to customers. According to restaurant operations manager Ali Zaidi, the robots have become a hit on social media, drawing children, influencers and families in large numbers specifically to be served by the humanoids. Zaidi said many customers now visit the restaurant after watching videos of the robots online, with families specifically requesting to be served by them.
The robots were developed by Usama Aziz, an electrical engineering graduate of the National University of Sciences and Technology, through his Multan based company Cobot. According to Aziz, the machines were developed and manufactured entirely locally, including their programming, hardware, circuit boards and fiberglass bodies. Priced at 400,000 rupees, or roughly 1,500 dollars each, the robots have also been supplied to educational institutions and restaurants in other cities beyond Karachi, pointing to broader commercial interest in the technology.
Operationally, human waiters at the restaurant control the robots through a mobile application, though they can also be operated using a remote. The robots stand frozen in place holding food trays, with human staff still responsible for placing the food onto customers’ tables, meaning the technology currently functions as a novelty delivery mechanism rather than a full replacement for waitstaff. Robot operator Muhammad Ali noted that the machines can occasionally shut down when their batteries run out, though their systems and lights may remain active during this time. For many first time visitors, the appeal lies as much in the experience as in the food itself, with the restaurant’s combination of locally built robotics and its mafia themed menu creating what customers have described as a distinctly new offering in Karachi’s dining landscape.
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