Robots are now serving customers at a restaurant chain as store owners face rising operational costs in Thailand.

The automated workers carry trays of food to customers dining inside the bakery in Bangkok, replacing human staff whose daily wage is more expensive.

Vitoon Silaon, chief executive of S&P Syndicate Plc that operates the bakeries, said the move is seen to help ease a financial crunch caused by high fuel prices and a rising cost of living.

Each branch requires at least 10 employees, but the company has hired robots instead to save on expenses.

Vitoon, in an interview with local media, said: 'We've tried to maintain our prices for as long as possible because we want to retain our customers. Bakery products are not usually the most necessary goods in people's lives.

'Therefore, we have yet to invest in the restaurants on a par with the level we did before Covid-19. The Thai economy remains full of uncertainties and a spate of problems persist in the second half of this year.'