Robots are becoming new waiters used to serve food in a Chinese restaurant in the Dutch town of Renesse.

It comes amid the coronavirus pandemic which has forced many places that welcome the public to adapt to new regulations on distancing.

But Shaosong Hu, who owns the Royal Palace restaurant, first saw the robot waiters serving food in China last autumn and knew back then that he wanted them for his restaurant in Renesse.

When the restaurant reopens, chefs will be cooking up Chinese and Indonesian specialities with robots helping out on basic tasks.

"These robots can take over and serve our guests as extra helpers," said Leah Hu, the daughter of the Royal Palace owners.

Restaurants have been hard hit by the crisis and have been closed for over two months.

"I hope that people will be more open to this idea because I heard also negative reactions, saying it makes it impersonal. Like, saying this is not a person, the personal contact is gone," Leah Hu added.

The owners say they're not concerned about potentially robbing young people of a job since it's hard enough to find staff in a rural area.