KARACHI: In a city known for its bustling food streets and vibrant culinary culture, a new attraction is turning heads across Pakistan, and it has nothing to do with the menu.
At the Sicilian Restaurant on Karachi’s Shaheed-e-Millat Road, customers aren’t just coming for the deep-dish pizzas or sizzling steaks. They are flocking to be served by Robia and Jojo, two humanoid robot waiters that have become the unexpected stars of Pakistan’s dining scene.
The scene is surreal yet captivating: a customer watches delightedly as Robia wheels over, a rectangular tray in hand carrying a piping hot pizza. But it isn’t the food that excites the customer. Rather, it’s the humanoid robot that calmly delivers his order to the table, marking an unusual sight in Pakistan’s largest city.
Robots are now serving food in Karachi. A restaurant on Tariq Road, part of a chain that grew from Multan to Hyderabad, has introduced two humanoid waiters, Rubia and Jojo, engineered by NUST graduate Usama, to deliver meals directly to customers.#PakistanConnect pic.twitter.com/yGhxgi8hsf
— P Connect (@ConnectingPak) August 22, 2026
A mafia-themed eatery with a futuristic twist
The Sicilian Restaurant follows a mafia-inspired theme, serving burgers, deep-dish pizzas, steaks, desserts, and other items. But its true distinguishing feature lies in its two robotic employees.
Robia and Jojo, with their white spherical heads fitted with dark helmet visors, have become the talk of Karachi. Dressed in sleeveless maroon tops paired with long, black shawls, these robot waiters are a novelty in Pakistan’s restaurant scene. Their presence has drawn in children, social media influencers, and families in huge numbers, all eager to be served by the humanoids.
“In Karachi, many customers have come after watching the robot,” Ali Zaidi, the restaurant’s operations manager, told Arab News. “Families come and say they want the robot to serve them.”
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Made in Pakistan: A homegrown innovation
Zaidi revealed that the robots were developed by Usama Aziz, an electrical engineering graduate of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST). They were part of the restaurant’s effort to bring a distinctive concept to Karachi.
Aziz, the founder of Multan-based company Cobot that developed the robots, said the machines were developed and manufactured locally – including their programming, hardware, circuit boards, and fiberglass bodies. Priced at Rs400,000 ($1,500) each, the robots have also been supplied to educational institutions and restaurants across different cities in Pakistan.
And the effort has clearly paid off.
“Families, children, vloggers, and bloggers are all coming and enjoying it,” Zaidi said.
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How do the robots work?
Human waiters at the restaurant operate Robia and Jojo through a mobile app. Muhammad Ali, a robot operator at the restaurant, explained that the robots can also be operated using a remote, while the application allows staff to control their functions through a mobile phone.
The robots wheel over to customers and stand frozen in place with their food trays. It takes a human waiter to take the food from the tray and place it on the tables. Ali noted that the robots can occasionally shut down when their batteries run out, although their systems and lights may remain active.
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A ‘new thing’ for Karachi
Muhammad Naeem, a 40-year-old entrepreneur, had visited the restaurant at his children’s insistence after seeing videos circulating online. “So I brought them here, and it was a lot of fun,” he said.
Khadija, a six-year-old school student, said she enjoyed interacting with the robot waiter. “I had a lot of fun here,” she said. “And then I played with the robot.”
Muhammad Shahid, 36, who works in the private sector, said it was the first time he had been served food by robots. “So I really liked it; it’s a new thing,” he said. “And the pizza is also unique. I haven’t seen such a pizza in Karachi.”
As Pakistan’s dining scene embraces technology, Robia and Jojo are proving that the future of hospitality might just be robotic, and Karachi is leading the way.
