EAST MARLBOROUGH — The best technology provides solutions, not just profits.
Tony Liu, who owns the business with his wife Suki Liu, said that at GuGu Asian Table, providing quality food is more important than profit.
She agreed.
“Making money is not the priority, serving customers is the priority,” Suki said.
Still, with inflation approaching 9%, the cost of quality food is higher than ever, at least for the past 40 years. In addition, North America’s hospitality industry continues to be understaffed, and restaurants are at its core. On Christmas Eve last year, Tony and Suki made a move to counter the trend by introducing Bella the robot.
Bella can take on multiple human server roles, bringing hot and cold dishes to the table herself. She can even sing the “Happy Birthday” song.
BellaBot was designed by Pudu, Georgia. Pricing for BellaBot robot waitresses starts at $15,000. However, the rewards pay off.
In addition to doing many server jobs together, the kids enjoyed watching the machines, robots, Bella delivering meals and singing “Happy Birthday” to them.
American dream
Tony and Suki are neighbors who grew up in Fujian, China, and met and fell in love when they were young. The couple moved to the United States in 1995.
Ten years ago, the pair moved from New York City to Kennett Square to open their first restaurant, Lily Asian Cuisine, in the hospitality industry.
“Everyone treated us well, like family,” Suki said of the community.
Then in 2021, Tony and Suki chose to put more of their hopes and dreams into the community, opening GuGu serving fine Asian cuisine in a formal setting near Longwood Gardens on Route 1.
Lily and GuGu are open 7 days a week. Each institution is closed one day a year on Thanksgiving.
Aunt is a symbol of “home” in Chinese, which is specially translated as “sister” and “aunt”.
They employ a total of 20 people across the two venues, including their two daughters.
“It’s a great community here,” Suki said.
As a chef and artist, Tony is committed to the refined taste of the food he prepares. The combination of the various elements in any given dish, combined with the presentation, equates to a unique tasting experience.
Not only on Lily and GuGu’s menus, but especially now in the new restaurant, Tony’s art and refined palate are clearly expressed – the restaurant’s ambience includes wall-to-wall handcrafted oak panels, plus stone.
Some of GuGu’s most popular dishes include Chilean sea bass, Japanese fish boxes, homemade soups featuring local produce and a range of sushi specialties. The restaurant serves customers some of the best sushi in the world, including Omakase, which is air-freighted fresh from Japan.
