An immensely popular fried chicken chain is testing out autonomous delivery robots.
Chick-fil-A is rolling out the new delivery model at a limited number of restaurants in California, Texas and Florida, according to a company announcement.
The company is researching and developing the autonomous technology in different restaurant settings, including food courts and urban downtowns, to determine if robotic fleets could be used to enhance operations and cut delivery costs.
Chick-fil-A has nearly a dozen Milwaukee-area locations, including a spot inside the Milwaukee Bucks' arena Fiserv Forum.
Chick-fil-A's test run
The first trial is happening at a restaurant in Austin, Texas, through a partnership with Refraction AI, a last-mile robotic delivery company. Chick-fil-A currently doesn’t have plans to test autonomous delivery in Georgia, according to a company spokesperson.
Refraction AI’s boxy robots will deliver Chick-fil-A meals within 1 mile of the test restaurant.
The robots can travel up to 15 miles per hour and navigate traffic patterns, pedestrians and different street configurations. The robots are insulated and have designated drop-off spots. During the pilot, a person will follow the robots to ensure a smooth delivery and answer any questions along the way, according to the announcement.
Customers can fill out delivery orders on the app or online, track the order and get instructions on how to retrieve the meal. Depending on this restaurant trial run, Chick-fil-A's partnership with Refraction AI will expand to another location in Austin in late June, according to a press release.
Last fall, the family-owned chain got a new chief executive. Andrew Cathy succeeded his father Dan Cathy, who remains the chairman. As Dan Cathy stepped down, he called Chick-fil-A delivery a “big growth opportunity” for the company.
Chick-fil-A's innovation centers
Chick-fil-A has a long history focused on innovation.
Earlier this month, the chain filed a trademark application for goods and services in the metaverse, an interconnected virtual reality with online personas, real estate and businesses.
The filing covered virtual food and beverage products, online virtual restaurants in virtual environments, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for facilitating commercial transactions. In a homage to its sandwich-selling cows, Chick-fil-A is calling its virtual reality initiative the “Moo-taverse.” It’s one of a growing number of Atlanta companies to enter the VR world.
Chick-fil-A also has an innovation center in Georgia Tech’s Technology Square district. The 6,000-square-foot Technology Innovation Center opened in 2018. Chick-fil-A is also a founding corporate member of Georgia Tech’s Engage program, an accelerator and venture capital fund that connections corporations and startups.
Chick-fil-A's first innovation center, the “Hatch,” opened in 2012 to experiment with new restaurant designs and train team members.
Chick-fil-A generated $14.1 billion in sales in 2020 and operated 2,627 restaurants in 48 states. The first Puerto Rico location opened last March.
