The University of Arizona (UA), a public university with a student population of over 40,000 students, partnered with Grubhub in 2019 to provide a campus-wide solution that would position them as a university with an enhanced dining experience rooted in speed and efficiency.
In order to accomplish this, the university worked with Grubhub to implement an on campus mobile ordering system, self-service kiosks, and a smart locker system that supports order pickup. These technology solutions allowed UA’s dining program to streamline back and front of house operations and effectively manage the volume of orders its dining centers were seeing.
Enhancing the Campus Delivery Experience Through Robots
Navigating college campuses can be challenging for traditional couriers due to one-way streets, restricted access zones, and strict parking regulations. As a solution and enhancement to its dining program and services, UA worked with Grubhub and Cartken to bring robot delivery to its campus as an additional delivery option.
Within four short weeks, a fleet of more than 40 robots were deployed on campus fulfilling delivery orders and providing a convenient option to busy students, faculty, and staff.
Cartken’s Integration With Existing Grubhub Dining Technology
Cartken’s autonomous robot delivery system seamlessly integrated with Grubhub’s existing dining technology. To place a robot delivery order, students were able to use the same Grubhub app that they were already using for ordering their favorite food items but now they were able to have their orders delivered to one of the 60 drop off locations on UA’s campus. Within the Grubhub app, students can order, track, and unlock the robots right from their mobile devices.
Successful Adoption Among Students
The integration between Grubhub and Cartken yielded impressive results, with more than 50,000 orders delivered by a robot during the ‘22-‘23 school year. Nearly 1,000 students per week ordered via robot delivery, with the highest order volume day topping over 440 deliveries completed via Cartken robots.
Student engagement with the robot delivery service has been high, with 75% of students who use the Grubhub app placing orders via robot delivery more than once. Additionally, 45% of those students ordered five times or more.
The University of Arizona were pleased with this enhanced dining experience for its students:
“It’s great that the robot delivery allows students to experience more dining options across campus. We’re able to reach new locations, giving students convenient, hot and fresh food options that they didn’t have before.”
- Christine Carlson, Director of Dining & Nutrition
Getting Started With Food Delivery Robots and Grubhub Campus
Is your campus ready to bring this cutting edge dining experience to your university? We’d love to get in touch. If you are already using Grubhub Campus on your college campus, integrating delivery robots is quick and easy. The robots connect to your school’s ordering system, so students can pay with their meal plans or campus cards. You can manage and track all orders through the Grubhub Campus platform, eliminating the need for staff to learn new technologies. If you’re not using Grubhub Campus, a member of our team would be happy to discuss your options for getting started quickly.
Ready to learn more? Contact us today to find out how to elevate your campus dining experience with Grubhub Campus and self-driving food delivery robots.
