Serving up innovation: unpacking restaurant employees’ intentions to embrace service robots

Purpose This study examines the effect of perceived job fit, technology readiness, social influence, and perceived difficulty of learning on restaurant employees’ intentions to collaborate with service robots and their turnover intentions if service robots were to be used. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire was used to collect data on the perceptions and behavioral intentions of US restaurant employees regarding service robots. Responses from 483 participants were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings Respondents are more willing to collaborate with service robots when they perceive a stronger alignment between the robots’ functionalities and their job tasks, receive greater social support for using robots in the workplace and experience fewer challenges in learning to use the technology. Conversely, those who perceive a poor job fit or encounter greater learning difficulties are more likely to consider leaving the organization if service robots are implemented. Employees’ technology readiness level has a nonsignificant effect on behavioral intentions. Comparative analyses reveal significant differences in behavioral intentions across demographic groups. Practical implications Restaurants interested in implementing service robots should focus on effective job design and cultivate a supportive learning environment to enhance employee acceptance and mitigate potential turnover. Originality/value The current study simultaneously examines employees’ intentions to collaborate with service robots and their turnover intentions in response to the implementation of robots. It offers a novel perspective on the impact of service robots on the hospitality workforce.