Exploring the factors influencing employees’ intention to work with service robots in restaurants: an fsQCA approach
Eric Jin-Yuan Ho, Stephanie Hui‐Wen Chuah · Journal of Foodservice Business Research · 2025
Collaboration between robots and humans is no longer science fiction; it is gradually becoming a reality and is poised to revolutionize the hospitality industry. However, many employees see robots as a threat to their job security and are reluctant to accept them as coworkers. The current study delves into this complex phenomenon by examining the interplay between drivers, barriers, and employees’ characteristics in determining employees’ intention to work with service robots in the restaurant setting. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed to analyze data from a survey of 102 staff members working in Malaysian restaurants that are expected to introduce service robots in the near future. The results identified four pathways that lead to a high intention among employees to work with service robots. The nuanced and informative insights yielded by this study’s findings will guide restaurateurs toward successful collaboration between human employees and robots.