Through rain, sleet, snow and any other conditions the Windy City has to offer, autonomous robots are on the loose in Chicago delivering some of the nation’s most sought-after made-to-order burgers and other menu items thanks to a collaboration between Coco Robotics, Uber Eats and Shake Shack.
The partnership, announced Nov. 19, debuts Coco’s delivery robots at two Chicago Shake Shack locations, with aspirations to expand that service to other sites across the Midwest’s most populous city.
Coco’s robots integrate directly into an existing Uber Eats ordering system, according to Melissa Fahs, Coco’s chief commercial officer, streamlining the process for both restaurant staff and customers. The partnership, she said, allows Shake Shack to fulfill more orders, particularly during peak hours, improving delivery timing and ensuring a high-quality guest experience.
“Shake Shack has very digitally savvy guests, they do a ton of volume in Chicago, and so choosing the Chicago location made a lot of sense for Shake Shack, but it also makes a lot of sense for robot delivery in general,” Fahs said. “It’s a very dense environment, you have high labor wages, which tend to drive up courier wages, and you have a very sophisticated consumer that expects delivery quickly. So, it made a lot of sense.”
By using Coco’s robots, orders move directly from the kitchen to the curb. From there, the autonomous vehicles finish the task, navigating sidewalks and high-traffic areas to deliver items directly to customers.
“At Shake Shack, we’re always looking for new ways to meet our guests where they are, and this partnership gives us another convenient option to bring the Shack experience to them, especially during the colder months,” Steph So, chief growth officer at Shake Shack, said in a statement. “We’re excited to see how this technology can make things easier and more fun for both our guests and our team. The robots are intuitive, easy to work with, and bring a little extra joy to delivery.”
Coco launched its services in Chicago late last year, which Fahs described as the company’s “first entree” into harsh winter-weather environments. While the cold conditions prompted measures such as proactive battery health maintenance and the addition of custom tires with better grip, the expansion demonstrated that such locations were promising markets for autonomous deliveries.
“Generally, our compartments are insulated in the robot, so we don’t have any issue keeping the food prepared as it was created,” Fahs said. …”In fact, our Coco robots really can benefit in harsh weather environments, because that’s when your courier labor supply will go down, and your consumer demand tends to go up because they don’t want to go out in the bad weather. So it’s actually a really great use case for Coco.”
Coco is working closely with city officials in Chicago to continue expanding the geographic area where robots can operate. Fahs said restaurants typically start by implementing innovations like autonomous delivery in just one or two locations, then expand as those efforts prove successful.
Fahs said the company expects to announce more partnerships in the near future, as well as additional participating locations with Shake Shack. Rather than adjusting expansion plans to address growing industry competition, she described Coco as focused on meeting existing demand for autonomous delivery.
“Driving adoption of autonomous forms of food delivery is good for everyone,” Fahs said. “All boats will rise, and everyone will benefit: the cities, the consumers, the merchants, our partners and the robot companies themselves. So I would say it’s less about competition, and it’s more about, ‘Let’s reinvent this occasion altogether.’”
Fahs described the last few months as a tipping point for large restaurant brands considering robot delivery to meet the needs of their staff, operations and guests. She said CoCo is building autonomous delivery vehicles as quickly as possible to meet demand, aiming to reach 10,000 robots by the end of 2026; hundreds will serve the Chicago area alone.
“Coco has been a leader in autonomous delivery innovation for years, empowering merchants to offer customers fast, reliable, and consistent service,” Megan Jensen, head of autonomous delivery operations at Uber Eats, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to deepen our partnership with Coco and deliver the next generation of efficient deliveries to Shake Shack customers in Chicago through Uber Eats.”
In addition to expanding into new markets and securing partnerships, Fahs said Coco is leaning into the delivery of convenience items and everyday essentials. Through a recent collaboration with DoorDash’s DashMart, Coco robots now fulfill select orders, including groceries and retail items. That service will reportedly launch in Chicago and Los Angeles this year.
“My dream around a lot of this is what I call democratizing the convenience of third-party delivery, so it doesn’t have to be a luxury affordable to only the higher tier of society,” Fahs said of autonomous delivery. “I really feel like Coco and other robotic companies and autonomous companies can bring the cost down; we literally could double the size of this occasion for consumers, because everyone needs convenience, and merchants want to be able to bring their food to everybody who wants it. “
