- Pizza Hut Canada is testing robotic food delivery at one store in Vancouver this week.
- The technology was developed by Serve Robotics, whose bots can navigate on their own along busy sidewalks, the company said.
Related: Why pizza robots look to be crucial tools for the future
Robots are delivering pies for Pizza Hut Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia, this week as part of a trial run that could change the future of delivery in Canada.
The chain is partnering with Serve Robotics, a leader in autonomous sidewalk delivery, to host a pilot program in Vancouver. The Pizza Hut location at 1725 Robson Street was selected for the pilot.
Through September 30, select Vancouver customers who order via the Pizza Hut app may have their food delivered directly to their doorstep via robots.
Customers selected for robotic delivery will be able to use the Pizza Hut app to track the robot’s location as their order approaches and will receive a unique, one-time pin to retrieve their order from the robot’s secure compartment.
“From introducing cheese in our stuffed crust to delivering pizza to the International Space Station, Pizza Hut is the pizza pioneer,” Manish Dhankher, director of operations at Pizza Hut Canada, said in a statement.
“Pizza Hut is thrilled to be at the forefront of this technology and partner with Serve Robotics to bring this offering to Canada for the first time,” Dhankher added.
Dr. Ali Kashani, cofounder and CEO of Serve Robotics, said the Pizza Hut program is “an important step forward in our efforts to expand our delivery platform to serve more cities and communities.”
According to a press release, Serve Robotics’ zero-emission rovers “have completed tens of thousands of deliveries, eliminating the equivalent of thousands of car trips and several tons of CO2 from city air.”
The delivery bots use a range of sensors to identify nearby objects, letting them autonomously navigate sidewalks, while also being assigned to human supervisors to ensure their safe operation.
The major pizza chains thus far have taken baby steps toward robotic pizza delivery. In April 2021, Domino’s tested a driverless robotic car, developed by Nuro, in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Since then, however, Domino’s hasn’t publicly reported on the results of the test or announced future plans for the technology.
On the other hand, delivery bots are becoming increasingly common on college campuses around the U.S., and DoorDash announced earlier this year that it’s developing its own line of food delivery robots through its new division, DoorDash Labs.
