Havana – For Sonia Pérez, entering the Doña Alicia restaurant in Havana felt like entering a movie. Even as Cuba Fight with power outages And the technological scarcity, this restaurant has jumped to the 21st century with digital menus, assistance enabled for Alexa, bathrooms without touch and even a robot that delivers food.
“I thought I was in a cartoon movie!” The 64 -year -old government employee said, amazed at the contrast to technological realities outside. “I wish there was more of these in Cuba … we are really far behind in technology.”
While it is common worldwide, this automation is a complex feat in Cuba due to frequent energy cuts of the island and the lack of modern technology.
Opened seven years ago, the restaurant gradually adopted technology, starting with tablets in the tables, followed by Alexa services And that culminated with the arrival of Mrs. Alicia, a robot that does not turn food bears the name of the owner’s grandmother, who now helps human waiters in the dining room.
The guests are received with digital menus on the screens on their tables, which allows them to navigate and ask for traditional Cuban dishes such as pork salty, pasta and sweet desserts. The bar improves even more the experience offered by drinks or freshly made. Human servers are available for those least experts in technology.
Prices are aligned with those of other private restaurants, making them unasquibles for the Cuban average and reflecting The island inflation.
Despite the challenges of limited internet access already unreliable in Cuba (Mobile Internet only It was generalized in 2018And interruptions are frequent due to the energy crisis), Doña Alicia seems to be sailing for these obstacles.
The manager Yadiel Hernández believes that technological advances help attract clients by creating a unique and attractive gastronomic experience in Havana.
“We have noticed a change,” said Hernández. “Both children and adults find it interesting for a robotic assistant to bring food to the table … It is a novel experience.”
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