Grubhub Delivery Robots Go to College
Food delivery has advanced rapidly the past couple of years. One sector of restaurant technology has been catching more attention lately, particularly on college campuses. All around the country, universities are employing driverless food delivery bots. Grubhub, the popular third party delivery platform, is jumping on the trend early.
With the potential to corner a growing market, Grubhub is simultaneously raising awareness for robotic delivery. This is not some mystical technology of the future, but overtaking colleges right now.
Grubhub Robots Take College
Separate from their foray into delivery robots, Grubhub already has partnerships with more than 250 colleges nationwide. Students can integrate their meal plans to use dining points for transactions at qualifying vendors. Grubhub partners on- and off-campus restaurants to give them more variety. Now they’re expanding what they can do.
Already, students at places like Ohio State University have seen autonomous robots strolling the grounds. Thanks to a partnership with Yandex, Grubhub now offers robot-powered delivery all around campus. This Russian tech company expands Grubhub’s reach while benefiting from its considerable brand power. This, combined with the college market’s need for cheap and accessible food, made for the perfect partnership.
There aren’t a lot of options for getting delivery to on-campus housing, especially from eateries run by the university. Now there’s a solution.
How Grubhub Robots Work
These robots are built to deliver the best possible service, everywhere. With six wheels that work cross-terrain, the delivery bots can move on pavement, crosswalks and other pedestrian ground. They carry more than 40 pounds of food and also come with theft protection to ensure only the orderer gets it. Customers have to unlock the delivery hatch using their app to ensure it goes to the right person every time.
By replacing human couriers, restaurants reduce their labor expenses while customers enjoy a wider range of restaurant options. The robots can go where cars don’t fit, like pedestrian walkways; and the concept is scalable so schools can decide to include more on-campus restaurants on the app if they see it taking off. Grubhub can also recruit more robots when they partner with bigger campuses in the future.
This is a smart, flexible solution for Grubhub, local restaurants and students too. For college kids without an abundance of other options, this is an exciting breakthrough in food delivery.
The Future of Autonomous Food Service
The arrival of widespread, A.I.-controlled delivery robots shows the untapped potential in this sector. As restaurants rely more and more on automated technology and particularly artificial intelligence, the industry will only continue to grow and become more advanced.
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