A delivery robot carries dishes from the kitchen to the table and brings dirty plates back, so waiters spend their time with guests. Models, prices and paperwork differ a lot. Here is what to check before buying one robot for a restaurant or a batch as a dealer — with list prices and rules checked in October 2026.
What a delivery robot does — and what it doesn't
A tray robot drives on its own from the kitchen pass to a table number, waits while guests take their plates and returns; in bussing mode it collects dirty dishes. A typical model has three or four trays of about 10 kg each, LiDAR and cameras for navigation and returns to its charging dock by itself. It does not take orders and does not put plates on the table — guests or a waiter do that.
Delivery robots with a closed, lockable cabinet suit hotels, hospitals and offices: room service, medicines, documents; many can call a lift. Reception robots with a large screen greet guests, lead them to a table and show the menu or promotions. Most venues start with one tray robot and add more once the routes are set up.
Check your venue first
Measure the narrowest aisle with guests seated. Compact robots need about 55 cm — that is the minimum passage width Keenon gives for its T8 — while larger four-tray models are wider: the Pudu BellaBot is 56.5 × 53.7 cm. Both makers rate their robots for slopes of up to 5°. Thresholds, steps, deep carpets and wide floor joints are where robots get stuck, so compare them with the spec sheet before you choose.
Glass walls, mirrors, very glossy or dark floors and direct sunlight can confuse the sensors; during setup this is solved with markers or ceiling codes. You also need stable Wi‑Fi across the floor for calls from the kitchen, updates and several robots working together. Mapping and setup usually take a day on site — plan a test run during quiet hours.
Specifications that matter
Payload per tray and in total — for example, 4 × 10 kg = 40 kg on the BellaBot and 20 kg on the compact T8. Speed — 0.5–1.2 m/s, set lower in a busy room. Run time and charging — current models work 10–15 hours on a charge and charge in about 4–9 hours; for two shifts look for automatic charging or a swappable battery.
Voice prompts and screen in the guests' language — Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and others; a call button or pager for the kitchen; table numbers from the point-of-sale system; several robots on one map; remote diagnostics. Ask whether routes keep working when the internet is down and how software updates are delivered.
What it costs in 2026
List prices of leading brands are public. RobotLAB, a large US robot integrator, lists restaurant robots from US$9,990 (Bear Robotics Servi) and US$14,500 (Pudu BellaBot) to US$16,000 (BellaBot Pro) and US$18,400 (Keenon T10). Its Spanish-language store for Latin America shows the BellaBot at $15,900 and notes that prices in the region may vary (October 2026).
Leasing — robots as a service — is common: the same store offers 36-month plans from about US$280 to US$590 a month. Chinese brands that are less known abroad cost noticeably less; with a famous brand you pay mostly for mature software and local service. Compare the total over three years: the robot, setup, spare parts, service visits and any software subscription.
Certificates and import
For the European Union a robot needs CE marking under the machinery rules — Directive 2006/42/EC, replaced from 20 January 2027 by Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — and under the radio equipment directive, because of Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth. In the United States the radio needs FCC authorization. CE and FCC marks do not replace national approvals in other countries.
Robots with Wi‑Fi or Bluetooth must meet radio rules in many countries: in Chile a SUBTEL QR label backed by an accredited laboratory's test report (no prior certification since February 2026), MTC homologation in Peru, homologation by the CRT in Mexico, conformity under the SASO regulation for communication and IT equipment through SABER in Saudi Arabia. In Colombia CRC homologation applies only to devices with a cellular modem. Details are in our import guides by country — links at the end of this article.
Robots are usually classified under 8479.89, other machines with their own function: the duty is 0% in Mexico and Saudi Arabia, 5% in Colombia, 0% in Chile with a certificate of origin under the Chile–China agreement, and in Peru it depends on the code. The robot ships with a lithium battery, so the battery must have passed the UN 38.3 tests and the factory must make the test summary available — the carrier may ask for it — and forwarders usually also ask for a safety data sheet.
Service and warranty
The usual factory warranty is 12 months. Agree in advance on a spare-parts kit — wheels, LiDAR, battery, charging contacts — remote diagnostics, training for a local technician and how long software updates will be provided.
Read the terms on remote locking: some factories reserve the right to disable a robot remotely, for example over unpaid invoices. For a dealer this has to be clear before selling to customers.
Buying as a dealer
Factories that sell through dealers usually set an annual plan per country and grant exclusivity only for volume — a fixed number of units of one model per year. The first order is often one to three samples at a higher price, paid in full before shipment; production takes about two to six weeks.
Before signing, check which countries already have an exclusive distributor, who supplies spare parts and repairs, whether the robot speaks your customers' language out of the box and whether you may use the factory's photos and videos — in writing.
How we help
We compare several factories for your venue or market, check certificates and radio approvals for your country before production, agree sample and dealer terms and prepare the export documents, including the battery papers. Delivery is FOB China or to your port; payment is by bank transfer against an invoice.
Prices and rules were checked in October 2026 against the RobotLAB store, the manufacturers' specification pages, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the national sources in our country guides. They can change — we confirm them in the quote.
What to send us for a quote
For a venue: the floor plan or a short video of the room, the number of tables, the narrowest aisle and the language the robot should speak. For a dealer: the country, the type of customers and the expected number of robots a year. We reply within two business days.