Welcome to the cafe of the future, where the waiting staff are all robots.

And the location? No surprises there – Tokyo.

It’s called the Dawn Avatar Robot Café and travel content creator Maz Green dropped in for a juice and a green tea, with the short video she made of the visit garnering tens of thousands of views on Instagram.

Maz, who posts eye-catching photos and videos to Instagram and TikTok to hundreds of thousands of followers using the handle ‘Where To Find Me‘, explained to MailOnline Travel that all the food and drinks are served by robots – and that they’re controlled remotely ‘by people with medical or physical limitations who cannot come into work but want to stay connected to society’.

Maz, who is half Japanese though born and raised in London, was told there are 70 staff members who work as robot pilots.

Inside, she saw ‘about 10 avatar robot waiters, one barista robot, one robot behind the bar, and a few more tiny robots dotted around the cafe’.

Plus, humans were assisting with issues and helping customers place their orders, and making drinks and meals.

The robots, though, serve everything and customers can interact with them.

Maz, 31, said: ‘The robots can all speak. Each avatar features a camera on the robot’s forehead, a microphone and speaker, so that the pilots can communicate with customers as if they were standing right in front of them.

‘The robots can perform simple movements, such as nodding their head or raising their hand, all through eye-tracking technology.

‘I interacted with so many of them. A robot greeted me at the entrance and explained how the cafe works, then I spoke to my robot waiter and with the mini robots by the bar.

‘Because I can speak Japanese, I was able to learn about the lives of many of the pilots.

‘It was fascinating to hear their stories and their appreciation for the job, which allows them to feel less isolated and more social during their week.

‘They are all lovely and are very keen to converse with their tables in English.

‘Most of the robots have iPads stationed beside them, so that you can see a photo of the person piloting the robot and where in the world they’re logging in from.’

And what was the service like?

Maz revealed that as you enter the cafe, which is in the Nihonbashi Honcho area of Tokyo, you make your order and pay on an iPad before being assigned to a table.

Her juice and green tea ‘came within minutes’ and none of the robots made a mistake.

Did the robots demand a tip?

Maz said: ‘No, because in Japan, it’s not the custom to tip. If you try, they’ll deny it and sometimes even chase you out of the restaurant to return your money.’

And what was Maz’s overall impression?

‘I loved it,’ she said. ‘It was pricier than your average cafe, but worthwhile knowing that you’re supporting a great initiative that provides opportunities for people with mobility or isolation issues.

‘It was very futuristic and as a result a quintessential Tokyo experience that I highly recommend.’

For more about the Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe visit dawn2021.orylab.com. Where To Find Me can be found on Instagram here and on TikTok here. 

Octopus is set to become the UK’s second biggest energy supplier after it announced plans to buy Shell’s household gas and electricity business.

The company, which started as a challenger to traditional suppliers, has climbed the rankings of the energy firms and now only Centrica-owned British Gas lies ahead of it.

Founded in 2015 by businessman Greg Jackson, Octopus will supply energy to almost 6.5m customers following the deal.

The acquisition, which also includes Shell Energy’s German business, comes less than a year after Octopus took on 1.5m customers from Bulb after its collapse into administration.

The deal needs regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of the year.

The Competition and Markets Authority declined to comment on whether it will investigate.

Chief executive Jackson said: ‘Octopus has proven that it delivers game-changing service while innovating and investing relentlessly towards a cheaper cleaner energy system.’

Consolidation in the energy sector has ramped up over the last few years with Octopus emerging as one of the major players.

Many smaller suppliers collapsed in the autumn and winter of 2021 under the pressure of soaring wholesale gas prices, with millions of customers snapped up by surviving businesses. The biggest casualty of the crisis was Bulb, which had been Britain’s seventh biggest energy supplier.

E.On bought N Power in 2019 and Ovo Energy, founded by Northern Irish businessman Stephen Fitzpatrick in 2009, purchased SSE in January 2020.

Ovo Energy’s and Octopus’s trajectories are similar.

Both were founded by British entrepreneurs as challengers to the established suppliers and have gone on to become two of the major players in the UK’s energy market.

Shell Energy entered the UK domestic energy market when it bought First Utility in 2018. The oil giant announced in June that it had put its British and German domestic energy business up for sale, exiting the household energy supply sector after just five years.

It followed a strategic review of the division under chief executive Wael Sawan, who was appointed in January this year.

In May, it was reported that Ovo and Centrica were among those also interested in bidding for the company.

Shell Energy customers in the UK will be transferred to Octopus following the deal’s completion and will not face any disruption to energy supply.

Shell is also winding down its home energy retail business in the Netherlands but said it does not plan to exit the home energy markets in Australia or the USA. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said that the ‘deal suits the strategic objectives of both firms’.

‘Shell exits a market that has seen low returns for energy providers, thanks to soaring wholesale energy costs and increased regulatory and political pressure in the form of caps on the prices that suppliers can charge their customers,’ Mould said.

He added: ‘Providing the transaction gets regulatory approval, this is another step for Octopus to cementing its position as a leading supplier in the UK energy supply market, following the failure or withdrawal of many rivals and its purchase of Bulb in 2022.’

The deal also includes 500,000 UK broadband customers.

Octopus does not currently have a broadband division and said it could not comment on plans for those customers until after the deal receives regulatory approval.

James Mabey, an analyst at analysis provider Cornwall Insight, said: ‘This marks the second major customer book acquisition by Octopus Energy in the last year, after the transfer of Bulb’s customers.

‘The transfer of Shell’s customers will represent an increase in customer numbers on a similar scale. The acquisition will see concentration in the domestic supply market taken to its highest level since early 2016.’

What to do if you’re a Shell Energy customer

The deal is expected to complete in the final three months of 2023 following regulatory approval so Shell customers have been advised to sit tight.

In time they will be transferred to their new account with Octopus, together with their existing direct debits and all customer credit balances are protected.

Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch, said: ‘Until any takeover is done and dusted, the business will operate as normal. 

‘Customers can be reassured that whatever happens, their credit balances will be protected and no action is required from them.

‘Shell Energy’s decision to exit the market is disappointing, as it has been a well-backed challenger to the larger energy suppliers.

‘It is important that there is strong competition between firms in the longer term, so suppliers cannot rest on their laurels when it comes to service quality and price.’ 

What about broadband customers?

Peter Ames, broadband expert at Broadband Genie, said: ‘While many eyes will be on how the Shell Energy takeover by Octopus will affect its energy customers, around half a million people also get their broadband through the company.

‘A question mark remains over the future of Shell Energy Broadband and whether Octopus will use this acquisition to venture into telecoms. 

‘For the time being at least, we are being told that customers won’t see a drop in service or an increase to their bills.’

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