Diners at a restaurant in the German city of Nuremberg are saving on tips - because there are no waiters.

In what is being billed as the world's first fully-automated eatery, customers at Baggers order their food by typing on a touch-screen at the table.

Food is then delivered to them via a mini-railway running from the kitchen to the dining room.

Unlike waiting for a train in the UK, the Baggers' system informs guests how long their food will take to prepare.

Restaurant owner Michael Mack said that he came up with the idea after holding a dinner party for pals and getting fed up with constantly having to bring out different dishes from the kitchen.

Mack said: "I thought to myself that it would be easier if the food arrived on a slide. The principle is so charming because it's so simple."

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By Jim Glenn

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