Would the Robot Cheapen Your Croissant? How Robots Impact Brand, Service and Quality Perception
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Do robots cheapen our food experiences? While much of the automation used in mass production of food remains invisible to consumers, it is unclear whether having robots visibly handle food will diminish the value of an otherwise artisanal food product. To explore how robot interaction with customers influences perceptions of food quality, service, and brand, we conducted an in-the-wild experiment$(N=324)$using a pop-up croissant bakery brand, Buttered Byte. We manipulated: who served the croissant (robot vs. human), whether the server worked alone or with a baker in the scene, and the quality of the croissant served (artisanal vs. mass-manufactured). We find that people are willing to pay significantly more ($0.38 CAD) for the same croissant when both a baker and a server are present, even when the server is a robot. We found that perception of artisanal croissants is not negatively affected by having a robot serve them, whereas it does for mass-manufactured croissants. Overall, our findings suggest that visible framing of a robot server working with/for a person counters negative perceptions associated with robotic service and can support human craftsmanship and retain product perception in retail contexts.
Source: IEEE RO-MAN
Institutions: McGill University, Concordia University
Language: English
Topic: AI in Service Interactions
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7221033045