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Waiter robots were meant to be the latest technological advance to revolutionise the service industry.

But the dining experience of the future might be missing serving bots after all, as a restaurant has fired theirs - because they're not up to the job.

Spilling soup and drinks, and generally not coming up to the level of quality any of us would expect from staff when we go out to eat, means the little workers' plan for domination has short circuited.

Despite a huge fanfare at the unveiling of the robotic waiters in restaurants, two of the forerunners have closed down, according to Workers' Daily.

And a third has fired all of its robots but one.

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"The robots weren't able to carry soup or other food steady and they would frequently break down. The boss has decided never to use them again," said one employee.

The limitations of the technology were clear, says another.

They added: "They can't take orders or pour hot water for customers."

Long hailed as the future of eating out, some restaurants are still making use of the robots successfully, including one venue in northeast China’s Shenyang city.

Hiring robot workers costs around £5,490 to being with, and then running costs include electricity and repairs - cheaper than a human, but obviously less efficient.

Management said people came to see the robots, but they were not a reasonable replacement for humans.