Robot-themed Milton Keynes restaurant closes

A robot-themed restaurant in Milton Keynes has been forced to close following the impact of increased utility costs.

A statement on the restaurant's website said planned investment to counter rising costs, particularly food and utilities, as well as staffing issues and reduced footfall had to be put on hold as its forecast increased utility costs became "insurmountable" and the restaurant operation unviable.

The restaurant's website said: "Having battled through the pandemic of 2020 and 2021 and absorbed many losses from Covid lockdowns, we are faced once again with new ‘significant challenges' driven by steeply rising costs, principally food and utilities, recruitment and retention issues, and a decline in revenue as a result of the current cost-of-living crisis.

"We have explored a number of options to safeguard the future of Robotazia, its staff and the robots, as our popularity and love has grown greatly since opening. We had begun improvements which had to be halted as our forecast increase in utilities became insurmountable.

"This brings us sadly to the conclusion. Robotazia's days have come to an end and the company and it's venue are forced to close. We thank everyone who has supported us over the years, and hope there are some fond memories and photo's of visits to look back on."

Robotazia opened in 2020 and had robot waiters deliver food to and perform for diners. Many of the robots were created using recycled materials.