Rikki Wang utilizes her tech background to bring her unique vision for an AI-powered restaurant to life.
By Ruvani De Silva
Photos Courtesy of: Space Cowboy
First-time restaurateur Rikki Wang brings her desert-robot dream to life at Space Cowboy.
When Wang decided to go into business for herself, she had a very specific set of goals. She wanted to create a fast-moving dynamic environment focused on showcasing creativity. Utilizing her background in tech and AI, she hoped to build a dreamscape space that allowed her personality to shine while providing a unique and engaging guest experience. The restaurant market jumped out at her. “I always knew I wanted to go into business for myself, expand my capabilities and contribute value to the world as much as I can,” says Wang.
She took the leap and entered the restaurant business without any formal training or experience. Instead, Wang combined her extensive technical and business skills with her strong vision and even stronger work ethic to launch her own high-end restaurant and cocktail bar featuring AI-functioning robot spaceships. And she did it in less than two years.
Space Cowboy is a sensory-focused realization of Wang’s goal. Guests step through gleaming neon signage and into a whimsical fantasy space. Sparkling desert clouds dangle overhead, cacti of all shapes and sizes line the room and the soft lavender walls sport huge round mirrors that reflect the sheen of the clever automated capsules circling the room. The space has an aura of make-believe that is deliberate. “The robots reflect a sense of a childhood dream of cars flying in the sky and robots serving you,” says Wang, “and the flowers, cacti and moons add a welcoming warmth—I pictured a desert where alien spaceships would arrive!”
But Wang’s “little spaceship bots” are indeed far more than a gimmick. The sleek pods do in fact have quite a bit of autonomy. “The pods are on a track, not a convey or belt,” Wang explains. “The robots decide where to go and how to get there. They choose which route they take around the restaurant and learn from past routes which way to go.” These bright inventions would not have been possible without Wang’s hands-on experience in tech and automation. “Having a tech background enabled me to bring a robot system to life that otherwise would be very difficult to accomplish. All the robot parts, design, circuit board components, manufacturing of parts, and sensors that go into the workings of a robot require at least knowledge of how they come together,” she says.
Wang also emphasizes how her time in tech not only taught her the necessary technical skills to realize her vision but also encouraged her to embrace new ideas, including automation, and develop the confidence to bring them into an industry where they are still relatively unfamiliar. “Sometimes people would comment that I am not ‘from the restaurant industry’ as if it is a bad thing, which definitely has its challenges, but I don’t think anyone ‘from the industry’ would be able to bring about Space Cowboy,”she explains.
Wang is keen to emphasize that the role of automation at Space Cowboy is so effective because it was so integral to her original concept for the restaurant, and her focus on technology and creativity. This focus extends to Space Cowboy’s menu—a blend of carefully considered international cuisine curated by head chef Juan Diego Solombrino, whose experience in kitchens around the world brings a spark and flair to the food that matches its unique delivery system.
For Wang, finding committed staff who believe in the concept of Space Cowboy has also been key to its success. “Through the process of opening the restaurant, I’ve learned to work with people with credibility; they’re worth their weight in gold,” she says. She is keen to give her staff room to step up and be an active part of the business, encouraging them to bring ideas for recipes and cocktails to the table. “I don’t give any limitations other than it should fit into the theme. There are so many ways that you can perceive food, and I know when people make suggestions and improvements that they are invested in the concept and theme.”
As a solo Asian American female entrepreneur with no prior restaurant experience at the age of 29, Wang has faced significant challenges, learning by trial and error and persevering through the complex navigation of building permits, zoning and permitting by herself. She emphasizes the need for courage and perseverance when moving from one field to another. “Some people see a woman business owner and they see vulnerability—that may be discouraging but it’s important to push through,” she says. Wang’s faith has also helped her on her journey. “The blessings of God make everything possible and we will continue to grow with His blessing.” Despite her success, Wang still sees herself as a student desirous to learn more and continue to perfect Space Cowboy, and keeps the idea of building a robot cocktail-making machine as a goal for the future.
Space Cowboy is located at 1917 East 7th Street, Austin, TX 78702.