Guests were treated to dinner and a show after a restaurant’s service robot went a little crazy, smacking a table while breaking out its best moves.
A viral video shows staff at a Haidilao hot pot location in Cupertino attempting to get the robot under control after it violently struck a table with food on it and began dancing.
Watch:
Robot goes crazy at Chinese restaurant in California, knocking off tableware and dishes as staff fails to control it pic.twitter.com/nb4PrXgOaQ
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) March 18, 2026
Despite utilizing robots and artificial intelligence to streamline service and keep prices low, restaurant staff aren’t always well-equipped to handle issues. The video shows the robot breaking into dance, smacking the tableware off of one customer’s table, and waving its arms around as staff tries to bring it under control and minimize the damage.
The impromptu dance session wasn’t due to a malfunction, but instead human error, causing the entertainment routine to take place far too close to the table.
“The restaurant chain said in a statement to NBC News that the robot ‘was not malfunctioning or out of control.’ Haidilao said that the movements performed by the robot in Cupertino are preprogrammed, but were taking place in ‘a closer-than-usual setting,’” the outlet reported.
“In this case, the robot was brought closer to a dining table at a guest’s request, which is not its typical operating setting. The limited space affected its movement during the performance,” the statement explained.
It appears that those staff members in charge of managing the robot’s actions weren’t entirely clear on how to turn it off if a problem occurred, resulting in the now-viral dance routine.
X users reacted:
Me and my three year old trying to get her to the dinner table while she plays lets dance.
— Cold War Corpsman (@CJacob161201) March 18, 2026
You’ve gotta fight!
For your right!
To paaaaaarty!— Wind-up-Robot (@WindupRobot) March 18, 2026
And people want them to drive their cars…
— ChaseCar (@ChaseCar89) March 18, 2026
The future will have a lot of lawyers defending robots.
—
(@goonandgo) March 18, 2026
Real Story: Helpful robot tries to warn mankind of the dangers of putting robots in charge.
— Hevelius (@hevelius) March 18, 2026
This is called foreshadowing… These clankers will be the death of us.
— AZ Jumbo (@AzJumbo) March 18, 2026
That one was supposed to go to a Greek restaurant. It had the plate breaking option installed.
— Teas Landman (@RWReagan1) March 19, 2026
we are one firmware update away from the robot uprising
— Jerry (@Jerry94_HC) March 19, 2026
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