"Robots in restaurants and emotional labour: A view from the Pepper Parlor"
by Chesher, Chris; Humphry, Justine (2025)
Abstract
This article explores the roles of human and non-human emotional labour in restaurant environments, with a specific focus on Softbank’s Pepper Parlor concept café in Tokyo. Adopting a ficto-critical method by imagining the lived experience of robots based on our observations of their design and behaviour, we analyse the significance of emotion in the performance of social roles in the service contexts of the café. This study draws on observations of various robots, including Pepper, Servi, AIBO, RoBoHon and BellaBot to examine how robots are designed to perform emotional labour to affect customer experiences. We contrast this with published ethnographic accounts of human service workers experiences in restaurants. The article situates its analysis within the broader discourse on service work, addressing philosophical questions surrounding robotic sociability and emotional engagement and socio-economic and social issues about robots potentially displacing human jobs. By integrating phenomenological robot hermeneutics with attention to contemporary advancements in AI and robotics, this paper contributes to the understanding of the role of emotion in the robotisation of hospitality and other service industries.
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