Serve Robotics Will Deliver Grubhub Orders Using Robots
The American company Serve Robotics has partnered with the food delivery service Grubhub to fulfill orders using autonomous robots that travel along sidewalks. The service is initially planned to launch in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Alexandria, according to Channel NewsAsia, citing Reuters.
The San Francisco-based company is known for its four-wheeled robots that deliver orders for Uber Eats and DoorDash. The new agreement with Grubhub was signed on the eve of the conclusion of Serve’s long-standing partnership with Uber Eats: the current agreement is set to expire early next year. Uber has divested its stake in Serve, and the company previously stated that it currently has no plans to renew the agreement due to a decline in order volume and differences in the parties’ views.
Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani told Reuters that the company expects to more than make up for the lost order volume from Uber over time through its partnership with Grubhub and other initiatives. According to him, this should help Serve grow faster.
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Serve also announced the launch of its partnership with DoorDash in San Jose, California, and Washington, D.C. These cities have become the company’s seventh and eighth major markets in the U.S. In addition, Serve is rolling out micro-depots in Miami—small facilities for robot parking, charging, dispatch, and maintenance. The company believes this format will allow it to enter new markets faster and more cost-effectively than building a full-scale facility.
Grubhub’s parent company, Wonder, is also expanding its delivery automation efforts. In June, it announced plans to launch drone deliveries in Texas starting in January. Meanwhile, Serve has begun rolling out a new generation of Moxi hospital robots following its acquisition earlier this year of Diligent Robotics, a company specializing in physical artificial intelligence.
