Pizza Hut Canada has partnered with Serve Robotics to launch a pilot test of its new robot delivery service. It’s part of a short-lived, two-week pilot program in Vancouver, B.C. where select customers get the option of drone delivery through the end of the month.
The company said this first robotic delivery test in Canada is its latest effort to stay at the forefront of technology changing the restaurant industry and a significant milestone for autonomous delivery at large.
“From introducing cheese in our stuffed crust to delivering pizza to the International Space Station, Pizza Hut is the pizza pioneer,” shared Manish Dhankher, director of operations at Pizza Hut Canada. “We’re always looking for ways to enhance our customer service and deliver hot, fresh, and delicious menu favorites to our customers. 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.”
The Pizza Hut location on 1725 Robson Street in Vancouver was selected as the first location for the pilot. 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.
“Serve is excited to partner with Pizza Hut to provide Vancouver customers with the convenience and reliability of zero-emissions robotic delivery,” said Dr. Ali Kashani, co-founder and CEO of Serve Robotics. “This is an important step forward in our efforts to expand our delivery platform to serve more cities and communities.”
Serve Robotics is helping shape the future of what it calls sustainable, self-driving delivery with zero-emissions rovers that have completed tens of thousands of deliveries, eliminating the equivalent of thousands of car trips and several tons of CO2 from city air. Serve’s technology uses a range of sensors to identify nearby objects, enabling the robots to autonomously navigate sidewalks, while also being assigned to human supervisors to ensure their safe operation.
“This signals an exciting step forward for the future of delivery technology in Canada,” added Dhankher. “We’re confident Vancouverites will not only experience delight in having a robot deliver their food but will also find this compliments Pizza Hut’s existing delivery service, allowing us to deliver more food to more people. We look forward to learning from this pilot in Vancouver.”
