Is the robot barista at the Metreon having a midlife crisis?

Customers try out the new robotic cafe, Cafe X, located within the Metreon in San Francisco, Calif. on Monday, January 30, 2017. Customers try out the new robotic cafe, Cafe X, located within the Metreon in San Francisco, Calif. on Monday, January 30, 2017. Photo: Amy Osborne, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Amy Osborne, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 42 Caption Close Is the robot barista at the Metreon having a midlife crisis? 1 / 42 Back to Gallery

When a robot coffee kiosk opened at the Metreon in SoMa in 2017, just a block from the SFGATE offices, we were intrigued by the machine.

The pros of the Cafe X robot quickly revealed themselves to us: Although it didn't allow us to vary the size of the drinks we ordered, or order cold drinks, it was a remarkably consistent product. The oat milk matcha lattes were the same ready-to-drink temperature every time, as were the coffee drinks. It was cheaper than a human-made coffee or tea beverage, and there was no option to tip, making it pleasantly exempt from SF tipping etiquette and its attendant anxieties.

The Metreon Cafe X machine was the prototype, founder Henry Hu told Curbed last year; two more have since opened in the Financial District, one at 578 Market St. and the other at 1 Bush St.

But lately, it seems to be showing some cracks as the company adds new features and functionalities.

A few months ago, we noticed the robot had begun dancing. This, in and of itself, wasn't a problem, but it did seem like it was only after the dancing feature had been added that other problems started surfacing. Like the dancing was an omen.

From time to time, we've arrived to find the robot out of service during its stated business hours. On another occasion — a busy day, the robot swarmed by lanyard-wearing attendees at a nearby gaming conference — the app allowed us to place our orders, only to have a friendly but panicked employee with an iPad let us know that the parts of the robot needed for the two beverages we'd ordered were not actually functioning.

We glanced over at the robot. It was dancing as the world burned.

A third difficulty was revealed on a recent visit in which the robot failed to pick up a cup, instead dispensing the latte contents into the void of the drip tray and then making a gesture of handing over a cup, but instead just delivering thin air.

On a fourth occasion, there seemed to be a malfunction with the app, which delivered an error message when we tried to order. We should note that every time there's been a problem with the robot barista, we've promptly received refunds or replacement drinks.

Cafe X COO Cynthia Yeung admits the Metreon location isn't the best the company has to offer.

"Please don't judge us solely on the basis of our Metreon machine. It's really more of a 'refurb' or retrofit than a true upgrade," said Yeung.

Since it was the prototype, the robot barista at the Metreon's food court is the company's oldest machine. It was recently retrofitted to add new menu items (around the same time the dancing started), but not fully upgraded to what you'd find at the Financial District location.

Those new menu items include iced drinks, larger drinks (12 ounces instead of just an 8-ounce option), and "revamping the chai menu." Testing and listening to customer feedback has always been central to Cafe X's growth strategy, Yeung explains.

"We're always going to be testing new software and hardware and not all of those changes are going to stick," she said.

One thing they recently changed at the Metreon: no more phone numbers. Previously, customers had to enter their phone number when they ordered. When the drink was ready, they'd get a text with a code. But they heard from customers who didn't like the idea of entering their phone number, so Cafe X ditched the requirement and redesigned the ordering workflow.

Yeung adds the company will continue to listen to customer feedback as they work through the kinks and plan a new location, set to open at San Francisco International Airport, in the fall.