It was supposed to be dinner and a show, but guests at a Haidilao hot pot restaurant in Silicon Valley recently got more than they bargained for when a promotional robot went a (dance) step too far.
In a scene that has since gone viral across social media platforms like Xiaohongshu and X, a humanoid robot — donning an orange apron ironically emblazoned with the words “I’m Good” — transformed a choreographed dance routine into a localized demolition derby.
The footage captures the bot wildly gesticulating, slapping tables, and sending chopsticks and sauce flying as startled diners look on.
The situation quickly escalated from a technical glitch to a physical struggle. In the video, three restaurant employees are seen grappling with the machine, attempting to restrain it by the scruff of its metallic neck and a back strap. One staffer appears to be frantically scrolling through a smartphone app, presumably searching for a digital stop command while dodging the robot’s sauce-covered flails.
The lack of a visible kill switch sparked immediate concern among tech analysts and netizens alike.
“You shouldn’t have to reach for an app to do that,” one user noted, highlighting a glaring safety omission in the robot’s design. NBC News chief tech analyst Joanna Stern echoed these concerns, noting that while the robot isn’t a Terminator threat, the absence of a manual emergency-off button presents a clear physical hazard in crowded dining spaces.
Despite the optics of a mechanical meltdown, Haidilao representatives insist the robot was not “going rogue.” In a statement to NBC News, the company clarified that the robot was performing a preprogrammed routine intended to promote Walt Disney Co.’s Zootopia 2.
According to the chain, the chaos was the result of human error rather than a computer virus.
“The robot was brought closer to a dining table at a guest’s request, which is not its typical operating setting,” the company said, explaining that the cramped quarters caused the bot’s programmed limbs to collide with tableware.
Haidilao, an international giant known for its smart restaurants in Beijing, has long been a pioneer in automated hospitality, utilizing robot chefs and delivery units.
However, this incident serves as a humorous, and pointed, reminder of the growing pains of integrating AI into human-centric environments.
As one viral comment summarized, “This is how the Terminator timeline begins. Not with a bang, but with a boogie.”
