The Chinese hotpot chain, Haidilao is well renowned for its service, but it's now going one step further in this regard by employing robot waiters and opening what's believed to be the first-ever smart hot-pot restaurant in Beijing. Our reporter Wang Mengzhen went along to see just how intelligent the whole operation is.

This is not a theater, but a restaurant's waiting area. Just scan the QR code, and you can play video games with your friends and even some of the others who are in the queue. Entering the dining hall, you can't help but be mesmerized by the changing landscapes on the screen. But watch out, you might get in the way of the six humanoid robots that move back and forth between the kitchen and the eating area.

WANG MENGZHEN BEIJING "It takes less than 10 minutes for us to get our dishes from the robot, but when these robots are too busy, or when certain dishes with ice are requested, that's when the staff here steps in."

But they're not the only robots here. Once you finish making your order, these robotic arms get to work preparing it in this cold little room The smart project was initiated by Haidilao and the Japanese electronics giant, Panasonic. As one of the co-founders, Zhu Mengyi said it was quite a challenge getting the concept off the ground.

ZHU MENGYI HEAD, NEW TECH INNOVATION CENTER, HAIDILAO "Back in 2016, we conducted a lot of research into smart restaurants in Europe and Japan. But we found there was very little to refer to. The restaurants had some smart technology, but not for the whole system. That's why we had to take it step by step on our own."

And it's the changes in the kitchen that Zhu is most proud of.

ZHU MENGYI HEAD, NEW TECH INNOVATION CENTER, HAIDILAO "The biggest innovation here is we've cut nearly 30 percent of our kitchen staff as we've handed some of their jobs to the robots. Inside the kitchen, we also have several monitors to track the information of each dish, like when certain ingredients will expire."

It's hardly surprising that this kind of unique offering is such a huge attraction, for Chinese and foreigners alike.

"I have never heard of the smart restaurant in Korea and this is my first experience here. I was so surprised to see robots serving food here."

"It's interesting to see the robots delivering the food. But now, traditional waiters have to take care of both customers and these robots, so I hope they can be smarter and more interactive."

Luckily, for the robots, they're still in the early stages of their development, so their future seems bright and it's maybe the rest of us who should be worrying about job security. Wang Mengzhen, CGTN, BEIJING.