In 1983, Two Panda Deli owner Shayne Hayashi, the Two Panda Deli in Pasadena, California, USA, became the first restaurant to “employ” robot waiting staff when it opened in 1983. The fast-food outlet used robots – named Tanbo R-1 and Tanbo R-2 – to bring Chinese food to its customers. Measuring 4.5 ft in height and weighing 80 lb, Tanbo R-1 and Tanbo R-2 delivered chow mein, spare ribs and fortune cookies to tables as required – telling jokes and playing music at the same time. The Japanese-built robots each cost $20,000, but were not without their faults – sometimes dropping food when radio interference confused their signals. They were popular with customers, however, and proved to be a major draw to the restaurant.