June 7 (UPI) -- A Rhode Island pizzeria unveiled the latest addition to its serving staff: a robot designed to take on the heavy lifting.
Bill Kitsilis, co-owner of Angelo's Palace Pizza in Cumberland, said he purchased a robot known as a Servi to help take some of the pressure off his staff.
"When we're really busy, our expediter is always yelling out, 'runners, runners,' looking for people to run food and our servers are busy," Kitsilis told WJAR-TV.
He said the robot is programmed with the layout of the eatery, so the operator needs only to put in the table number and the Servi will know where to go.
"I feel like if my servers are able to spend more face-to-face time with the guests instead of running back and forth in the restaurant, just makes the job easier," Kitsilis said.
The restaurant is holding a naming contest for the robot, with the winning submission earning a $100 gift card.