Commentary: Are robots the future of dining in Los Angeles?

Are you ready for the robot restaurant revolution?

In Los Angeles, two Robot Wok restaurants with nearly identical menus, packaging and the fast promise of fresh, affordable food are waiting for our hearts, minds and stomachs. Shrinking wallets, skyrocketing operating costs and a growing need for variety and convenience have set the stage for the modern robot restaurant war.

On the one hand, a homegrown brand from two entrepreneurs in the San Gabriel Valley. On the other hand, a mysterious new local contender is fueled by an army of hungry Trojans. Let the battle begin.

Teaguec Mini Bowl Restaurant on Southall Boulevard in Los Angeles.

(Jess Stephens/For The Times)

Thomas Su and Kelvin Wang opened Tigawok on Southall Boulevard in the summer of 2024, calling it the “first robot-powered” Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles. Su co-founded the Sunlight Tea Studio chain of bubba shops and Wang owns Beijing Flavor House in San Gabriel.

They recently opened Tigawalk in both Burbank and Irvine, and there are locations planned for Chino Hills and Lake Forest.

Roebok is a restaurant that opened in September inside the campus plaza of the University of Southern California, and its origins are a bit of a mystery. The website lists five stores, though I couldn’t find any more in Los Angeles. I called the number on Roboac’s website. The person who answered said I had the right number, but they weren’t interested in talking. Before I could ask any questions, they stopped.

An online search revealed a restaurant in Melbourne, Australia called Robo Wok. and Roebok’s “Rice and Noodle Studio” in Ontario, Canada.

Both TigaWok and RoboWak use automatic woks for roasting, boiling, boiling, and baking. Ingredients are manually loaded into cylindrical drums that move like washing machines. The finished dishes are removed and placed on metal trays for serving.

Counter-serves at Chinese restaurants have a variety of “mini bags” that you dump into plastic trays. Panda Express Combo Plate, just made. Prices range from $1.99 to $6.98 and the menu includes an array of familiar dishes. Rice, chow mein, kung pao chicken, mapo tofu and orange peel are on the rotating list.

The color scheme of the Tegauk is red blue and white. Robowok is white and black. Both restaurants serve your food in the bottom half of takeout containers. There are stations stocked with the relevant tops, as well as bowls and plastic cutlery for easy grab-and-go.

Serving up Chinese fast-food joints across the galaxy, I set out to taste-test both Tigawok and Robook, to find out whose food is superior.

Tigawok Burbank

A selection of dishes made with an automatic wok at Tegawok in Burbank.

(Jane Harris/Los Angeles Times)

Tigawalk in Burbank is innocent. Sterile like an operating room. The golden wood, minimalist design and TV menu display make it feel like you’re dining at your local IKEA. There’s a steady stream of delivery drivers taking orders, and many tables are occupied by solo diners in polo shirts, glued to their phones on their lunch break.

At the counter, a smiling employee gives a brief description of the restaurant and guides you to grab a tray. You can make a combination plate of sorts, although everything is served in individual bowls. Fried rice starts at $2.28, and a bowl of chow mein is $3.28.

A bowl of rice at the Teaguec restaurant in Burbank.

(Jane Harris/Los Angeles Times)

The robot cooks at a maximum temperature of 600 degrees Fahrenheit in a TigaWok. None of the dishes I tried got that distinctive, musty, smoky flavor produced by seasoned bags, but they were close.

My Chinese grandmother is adamant that you can judge a restaurant by its Kung Pao Chicken. Does the sauce achieve the consistency of a glaze? Is the chicken juicy and caramelized? She would approve of the small bowl of kung pao chicken, stuffed with dried chilies, bell peppers and onions. The grill on the chicken provided a slow, flavorful burn.

Wagyu beef stew served in a velvety, brown sauce with crunchy chunks of beef and chunks of soft carrot and potato. A bowl of rice was filled with caramelized rounds of lap cheong and egg ribbons. The pork buns were soft and fluffy, filled with juicy pork.

I was most impressed with the orange-skinned chicken, with fried nuggets that were crisp and glazed in a lemon glaze.

And if we’re talking about free, the condiment bar is stocked with free radish pickles, chili sauce, soy sauce and vinegar.

robocall

Dishes are transferred from an automatic wok to a steam tray for service at a Roebok restaurant in Los Angeles.

(Jane Harris/Los Angeles Times)

The other day I was in line at Roebok, behind 10 students in USC sweatshirts. During my 30 minutes at the restaurant, the line was always out the door.

The cramped space felt cramped with seating along one wall and a few tables outside.

I tried to repeat my tagawok order from the previous day, with a bowl of rice (this time it was plain), chow mein, kung pao chicken, orange skin chicken, broccoli and cabbage.

The orange-skinned chicken was smothered in a thick, gooey sauce that drowned out decadent expectations. The beef stew was watery and the broccoli and cabbage were both steamed instead of boiled. Kung Pao Chicken had more zucchini than chicken. And like the other dishes on my table, the overall texture was smooth.

A selection of dishes from Roebok Restaurant in Los Angeles.

(Jane Harris/Los Angeles Times)

Maybe the wok just needs to be programmed at a higher temperature.

Is this robot the next food vox in Los Angeles? the world?

To reduce dependence on human labor, 62% of quick service restaurants are adopting robotic kitchen equipment and smart cooking systems.

An automatic wok cooks food at a RoboWok restaurant in Los Angeles.

(Jane Harris/Los Angeles Times)

The prospect of a restaurant industry run entirely by robots makes me nervous. I crave the unique community and social interaction that only restaurants provide, and I value real human beings in both the kitchen and the food.

Both Robowok and Tigawok require people to program, load and unload machines, greet people and serve food.

We haven’t reached full robot dominance yet, and that’s a very good thing. And if asked to pick a winner of the robot wok restaurant wars, it’s the TigaWok by a landslide.