What is it?
When you arrive at The View Rooftop, located on the top floor of the Townhouse Duomo hotel in Milano, you start believing everything is possible. This bar, which overlooks the superb Duomo Cathedral and Square, is the “it” place to cool down after a busy day in the city. But most people just come to meet the incomparable “Toni”. “He” will become your best friend during your stay — especially if you truly want to grab a few drinks.
Toni is the most advanced drink-mixing robot ever put in the market, as described by its creator Carlos Ratti — an MIT professor and founder of Makr Shakr.
Why it’s Cool?
- Just look at it! It overshadows the Duomo Cathedral.
- You order and pay for your drinks from your phone or smart tablets around the bar.
- Imagine the number of combinations it can produce with 158 bottles hanging from its ceiling.
- It can shake, stir, combine, pour… However you want it, Toni can do it!
- Although it needs some supervision and help — to garnish drinks, staff costs will diminish considerably.
- Toni is trendy on Instagram.
- Toni has some moves: it’s modelled on gestures after Italian dancer and choreographer Marco Pello from the New York City Ballet.
Why it has future growth potential?
Nowadays, the fear of enclosed spaces and no-minimum social distanced crowds is changing the places where we go where we can feel safe. In addition, drinkers and bartenders are possible sources of the disease, the need for human contactless drinks and servers will be on the rise.
Makr Shakr is well aware, while looking forward and preparing for some new cool developments. A new Toni is in production and includes a newfound skill: Barista! One of Toni’s brothers, Bruno, is currently being rented out on demand to exhibitions, corporate and private events. And the newest member of the family, Guido, is at the conception stage: a “barmobile”, an open-sided self-driving vehicle which will be called to your location through an app. Yes sir! The future has arrived.