Back to the Future 2 - Cafe 80's Robot Waiter

Hi, I’m Michael Evans, and today I want to share a fun project with you; my build of the Back to the Future Part II, “Cafe 80s” robot waiter. This is a prototype version—sort of a version 1.0— but I am planning on creating a (hopefully) more refined and screen-accurate 2.0 in the future. In hindsight, I would have like to have taken more progress photos and images of this build but I am glad that I have what I have.

Why This Build?

Like many of you, Back to the Future is one of my favorite film series of all time. There's a special kind of magic that came from this trio of films —the creativity and the sense of wonder all came together in a way that still captures my imagination.

While I love all three films equally, this project focuses on Back to the Future Part II and its portrayal of their “future” of 2015 (which, funny enough, is 10 years ago). The Cafe 80's scene in particular, is a standout—it’s chaotic, retro-futuristic, and full of clever design. Among the many great details, the robot waiters really stuck with me. I've built several props and costumes from the trilogy over the years, but this was one I always wanted to tackle. I may continue with building the Pepsi bottle table with a real working cylinder that pops up!

A big inspiration for me was when I walked into a local retro 80's style café and saw how this prop could really elevate their space (or any space for that matter).

Research & Design

The first step for me was to rewatch the Cafe 80s scene—over and over again. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of readily available reference material or behind-the-scenes documentation on these actual props (at least that I could find), so I had to make some educated guesses based on the film footage.

I started with sketches, and then I created detailed vector drawings in Adobe Illustrator. This helped to establish dimensions and proportions and gave me a better sense of materials needed and how things would fit together.

I was fortunate to have temporary access to a CNC machine, which allowed me to cut the core shapes out of 3/8-inch plywood. The yellow arm pieces were the first hurdle. My initial assumption about their shape was off—they weren't stacked layers but actually had a 45° chamfer. I corrected this using epoxy resin putty, sanded to shape. It worked, but I had to modify the oblong shapes within the arms to make everything fit correctly. In hindsight, starting over might’ve been faster… but this is how we learn.

The peripheral shapes like the black circles and pink triangles were CNC-cut and finished by hand with a router and sander.

Tray & Monitor Section

Another challenging element in this build was the tray section below the monitor. The film version looks like a single molded plastic piece, but I don’t have the tools for that kind of work. Instead, I used a quarter-inch rigid foam wrapped around a pine rectangular frame. This baseplate then sat upon a lower plater made up of small pieces of wood and filled with epoxy resin. The final pieces were all sanded and painted. After completing this part of the build, I could see the small discrepancy in the size of the bottom front of the tray, in comparison to the film prop. I build 2 of these at a time so I can correct this in the 3.0 version.

The back box that houses the back of the monitor, the media player, and speaker was built around the dimensions of the screen that I chose—a flat computer monitor instead of the bulky and heavy CRT (like the film’s version?) to keep weight and size manageable.

I don't really know what they used for the movie since the side view of this shows that it only goes back a few inches and I don't know if screens/monitors were that small in the 80's.

With that in mind, I made the back box for this prop, about 3 inches deep, with room for wiring and ventilation.

The entire tray section is currently attached with a lightweight aluminum bracket. This works for now but I would like to reinforce it with something more substantial for the updated version. The same goes for the plastic backing and flat plate that sits behind the monitor; this was made from Sintra or PVC, which is flexible but not ideal for long-term structural support.

Assembly & Hardware

The pieces are mounted on a 1.5-inch aluminum square pipe. I screwed the orange center shape into the pole from the inside—tricky but manageable. Ideally, it should be the full width of the pole to sit flush with the yellow arms. I used foam as a spacer for now.

The black circles, pink triangles, and other decorative elements are attached with velcro for easy removal and reattachment. They’re labeled for quick setup, which is helpful for transport and repairs.

The red cover on top of the monitor was made from three separate wooden pieces, shaped and smoothed to resemble the film version. It’s not perfect, but version 2.0 will get closer.

Technology & Media Player

For video play, I used a simple media player controlled by remote. I recreated 13 menu items seen in the film and loaded them onto a USB stick to auto-loop on the monitor. I also added some vintage Pepsi and Max Headroom commercials to match the vibe—and yes, I know Max did a Coke ad :)

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find raw footage of the Michael Jackson and Ronald Reagan waiter scenes, but I managed to pull a few seconds from the film and edit it in just enough to give a taste.

The monitor connects via VGA-to-HDMI converter to the media player. Audio plays through a portable speaker connected with an aux cable, though I hope to include a remote power option for it in the next build.

Mounting & Mobility

I considered adding an X/Y-axis (as well as the rotation) movement like in the film, but for now it’s mounted stationary from the ceiling. Total weight is around 75 lbs, and while it's manageable, it's not super portable without disassembly. I plan to refine the rigging if I ever do a live install or event.

Final Touches & Details

The JVC letters on the tray, were modeled in Fusion 360 then 3D printed. I also recreated the physical menu that sits on the tray—filled with humorous, recycled text like “Reagan Scrambled Salad” and “Princess Di Spud Cake.” These little details are part of what makes the film—and this build—so fun.

Wrap-Up

The film references that focus on this prop are quick and sporadic so I had to study these references with scrutiny. The lighting in this scene also made it challenging to really understand the colors and textures. It was a little challenging—but also creatively freeing in that I could sort of just decide what I wanted to do as I went along and then make refinements in future builds. I definitely learned a lot from this build and I hope it inspires someone out there to build something of their own.

Thanks so much for visiting! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear your thoughts or see your own Back to the Future builds.