"Do They Give Refunds for This?"... Online Buzz as Rest Area Robot Shows 'Scallion Ramen Failure'

Rest Area Ramen Robot's "Failure" Alert Draws Attention

Cooking Robot Locations Expand from 3 to 103

"If Extra Noodles Come Out, It's Marked as a Failure... Refunds Provided"

A scene where a cooking robot making ramen at a highway rest area displays a 'failure' notification has become a hot topic online.

Photos of the roadside rest area robot chef's 'Scallion Ramen Failure' and the cooking counter that went viral online. Ruliweb

According to Yonhap News on October 7, a photo has recently been posted on social networking services (SNS) showing a red 'Scallion Ramen Failure' notification on the robot ramen corner’s status screen. In the photo, ramen noodles and soup powder were scattered across the counter and the floor. Online users commented that this message resembled the item upgrade failure messages in video games, reacting with quips such as "the robot’s human side," "even ramen is a game of chance these days," "I wonder if they re-cook it if it fails," and "do they give refunds?"

4,500 won unmanned robot ramen receives positive reviews from visitors

The robot shown in the photo is a 24-hour unmanned ramen cooking robot installed at the Gapyeong Rest Area on the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway. Following its introduction at the Daejeon and Cheongju rest areas on the Gyeongbu Expressway, the third and fourth locations opened at the Gapyeong Rest Area (toward Chuncheon and Seoul), with the Seoul-bound branch installed last month and operating on a two-month trial.

This robot, upon receiving an order, places noodles and soup in a dedicated paper bowl and serves a bowl of ramen in approximately 4 minutes and 30 to 50 seconds, with the capacity to prepare up to four bowls at once. There are eight types of ramen on the menu, including the basic ramen at 4,500 won, and options such as scallion, kimchi, spicy, cheese, kimchi cheese, scallion cheese, and seafood jjamppong ramyeon (5,500 won). The price is similar to that of ramen at general food courts, but toppings like eggs and green onions are relatively sparse, making it more akin to 'Hangang ramen,' prepared using an instant ramen machine.

What captured online attention was the status screen displaying not only 'waiting' and remaining time, but also a 'failure' message. A representative from the robot development company explained, "There are times during the process of picking up the noodles when additional noodles are picked up together or the noodles drop too quickly." He added, "Such cases are processed as 'failures' and shown on the screen." According to the company, there have only been one or two cases where the failure notification has activated, and when this happens, an on-site employee provides a refund.

According to Yonhap News, customer responses have been generally positive. Lee Seo-Eun (age 54) said, "For foods with standardized recipes like ramen or coffee, it’s fine for a machine to make them. For something like ramen where the amount of water is crucial, it might even taste better than human-made." Kang Hyejeong (age 33), who came back after missing out last week due to lack of time, said, "I usually enjoy Hangang ramen, and the price is not much different. Even if the cooking fails, I wouldn’t feel pressured, and I plan to use it again next time." Her daughter, Bang Uri (age 5), responded when asked about the taste, "If the full score is 10, I give it 100."

Robot chef serves through the night... Expanding to 103 rest areas

Rest area robot ramen appearance. Yellow Elephant Robot

The purpose behind introducing robots at rest areas is to offer entertainment to customers and provide late-night food solutions amid staff shortages. While typical restaurant sections operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the robots run 24 hours a day. Sales have reached an average of about 60 bowls per weekday and around 140 bowls per day on weekends and holidays. Customer posts on online communities include reports such as "I went at 4 a.m. and the robot was working, so I enjoyed some ramen."

Rest area cooking robots have been increasing rapidly as a solution to the labor shortage. According to data that Assemblyman Song Eon-Seok of the People Power Party received from Korea Expressway Corporation in February, the number of rest areas adopting cooking robots grew from three in 2021 to 103 last year. In February 2024, the Korea Expressway Corporation opened a 'robot chef' food court at Munmak Rest Area (Incheon-bound) on the Yeongdong Expressway, equipped with three robots serving Korean cuisine, ramen, and udon.

A representative from the robot company told Yonhap News, "If too many orders are received at once, errors can occur, so we are still in the early stages of identifying and improving these issues." He added, "We are also considering installing robots at ski resorts, near university campuses, in factory cafeterias, and at middle and high school snack bars where students stay late for night study sessions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.