Robots are poised to deliver Shake Shack burgers and crinkle-cut fries in Los Angeles.
Serve Robotics on Wednesday announced a partnership with Uber Eats to deliver Shake Shack orders via autonomous delivery robots. Guests who order from select locations around the city through Uber Eats could see their meal roll up in a cute little basket on wheels.
Uber Eats has been using the Serve robots for delivery since 2022—parent company Uber Technologies is an investor. But the partnership with Shake Shack marks an expansion of the initiative.
“We’re thrilled about our collaboration with Serve Robotics and Uber Eats,” said Steph So, Shake Shack’s senior vice president of digital experience, in a statement. “In line with our vision of enlightened hospitality, this partnership highlights our commitment to leveraging innovation to enhance guest experiences both in and out of Shack.”
For Serve Robotics, the partnership comes as the tech company plans to scale up operations.
“We are excited to add another national merchant like Shake Shack to our platform, a partnership made possible through the relationship we have built with Uber Eats across tens of thousands of successful deliveries,” said Touraj Parang, Serve Robotics’ president and COO. “Today’s announcement highlights the value of Serve’s world-class strategic partnerships as we work to expand our geographic footprint and deploy 2,000 robots across the U.S. in 2025.”
The zero-emission robots are designed to make delivery more sustainable and affordable—there’s no need to tip.
Serve robots have also been making deliveries for 7-Eleven, and the company is planning to expand its geographic footprint across multiple U.S. markets, as well as continuing to expand in Los Angeles. Most recently, the robot service expanded to the Koreatown neighborhood, for example.
Food-delivery robots have been a hit on college campuses, in particular. The robot maker Kiwibot, for example, has partnered with Sodexo, Grubhub and IBM in markets across the U.S. with multiple brands.
Chick-fil-A has been testing robot delivery in several markets. The tech startup Avride in Austin, Texas, is reportedly developing both food delivery robots and self-driving cars.
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