ABQ BioPark cafe welcomes first robot server

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After a long day at the Albuquerque BioPark, you may want to stop for a quick bite to eat. But how you get that food, may be just as surprising as some of the animals at the zoo. 

The BioPark has a new employee that provides unique service. 

Shark Reef Cafe at the BioPark is a typical restaurant. You place your order, you pay for it, and you eat, but what makes it different is what is serving you the food.  

Cayenne is a recent addition to the Shark Reef Cafe. 

“We’re a quick service restaurant so people place their order, they come up, they pick up their food. But this just adds another element to our service,” said Shannon Sanchez, general manager of Shark Reef Cafe. “So they can now order through the QR code, they can skip the line and once it’s ready, Cayenne brings it to your table.”

Like any new employee, Cayenne took some getting used to. But being the only server in the dining room, the staff at the cafe say it’s proven to be a big help.

“We’re at a point now where tech has been pushing to the service sector big time since the pandemic, and with that we had to look at different ways to meet the guest’s needs,” said Sanchez.  

Cayenne has been a huge help, and BioPark officials say there are plans to potentially bring more on board not only at the cafe, but around the zoo as well.