I was so surprised to hear that Wok A.I., the Singaporean restaurant famous for using robots, actually had to close! It’s kind of ironic – they were trying to *reduce* manpower, but ended up shutting down because they couldn’t find enough people to help with things the robots couldn’t do. It’s a crazy situation!
Artificial intelligence has been used in many industries for quite some time. For example, car companies have long used robots to help build vehicles, and AI is now starting to appear more and more in the food and drink industry too.
Several restaurants are now marketing themselves as being centered around artificial intelligence, such as the Singaporean street food stall, Wok A.I.
A street food stall became an online sensation on TikTok after it opened in November 2024. Owner Ang Chip Hong gained attention for his S$14,000 (approximately $10,000 or £8,000) robot, which is used to prepare Hokkien Mee.
A.I. restaurant shuts down store after lacking chefs
The robot needed people to help with tasks like loading and unloading food. Because it was difficult to find enough helpers, Ang decided to close the Wok A.I. location on Margaret Drive in late September.
“Manpower is still needed to cook stock, peel the prawn,” Ang told Mothership about the robot.
The restaurant owner also shared with Mothership that finding enough staff has been an ongoing problem, and it recently took nearly two months to hire someone new. He even increased the monthly salary to S$5,000, which is equivalent to around $3,900 in the US or £2,800 in the UK.
Ang still operates a second Wok A.I. location, about a 15-minute drive from Margaret Drive, meaning he continues to explore cooking with robotic technology.
This isn’t the first time an AI has gone viral in the restaurant world. Back in July, a character named Aiman – nicknamed ‘AI Man’ – was put in charge of creating the menu at WOOHOO in Dubai. Aiman doesn’t actually cook, but assists with customer service, creates the restaurant’s atmosphere, and decides what’s on the menu.
Chef Aiman also created TikTok and Instagram profiles so customers could get a first look at the experience before enjoying it.
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2025-10-09 17:20