People who nerd out about things and take them to extremes– that’s really what roadside America is all about.
In Hot Springs, Arkansas, the newly-opened “Robo World” was a storefront that caught our attention.
The Greet-Bot, wearing a nametag that said “Greg” greeted us at the door, and told a few jokes as we made our way in. The space was unmistakably a regular cafe, offering coffees, teas, and a few sweet treats– only exception being that robots took the place of ’employees’ (with one human helper, in fairness).
The first thing I noticed were custom-built games lining the walls, including a life-size robot version of Rock-’em-Sock-’em– so I jumped over to the joystick and buttons immediately, calling on Moon to join. There were two buttons– one for Block and one for Punch, and we happily slammed both until one of the robot eyes became an X, and then the other– double-X-eyes meant the bot was knocked out, and my blue robot stood victorious.
The entire store was themed– from restroom signs that read “Human Waste Disposal Facility” to foods called “consumables” to bots with different responsibilities– Trish was a Merchandise bot, and she bantered with the other bots in the store, who busied themselves doing other tasks.
The best of all? Once an order was placed, the bots brought your coffee to you (see below for video).
This bot, the ChefBot “Bob,” was ready to deliver each order as it came up. It was the silliest kind of gimmick, and it completely charmed us. Check out Bob’s customer service skills:
Talking to the proprietor (the human “helper”), she and her husband had been inspired by Meow Wolf– the immersive experiences created by artist collectives, and decided to open this coffee shop. Some idle time during the pandemic helped considerably, and they built the robots during that downtime, before purchasing the storefront.
It was so thought-out and executed so hypnotically, it made the simple act of getting coffee a captivating experience.
This was one of the most delightful roadside experiences we’ve been lucky to have.
Posted by Sun
