Chick-fil-A tests robot delivery at some restaurants

Do you prefer a human delivery person or would you like something more innovative?

Chick-fil-A robot delivery may be coming to your area!

The adventure began in two restaurants in Austin, Texas.

CHICK-FIL-A ROBOTS! Do you prefer the same old human delivery person or would you prefer something more innovative? Well, on Tuesday Chick-fil-A started testing delivering orders from some of its restaurants using robots.

Big fast-food chains don’t want to be left behind when it comes to technology, so on Tuesday, May 31, Chick-fil-A joined the list of companies testing autonomous delivery as a way to meet high customer demand.

Chick-fil-A tests robot delivery at some restaurants

Photo: Twitter

The adventure began in two of the chain’s stores located Austin, Texas. «Autonomous delivery using Refraction’s robots creates an exciting new opportunity to extend the Chick-fil-A experience to a growing number of delivery guests,» said Luke Steigmeyer, who owns and operates Chick-fil-A located at 6th & Congress in Austin.

Steigmeyer is the first franchisee to test the new delivery technology. “The platform will allow us to offer fast, high-quality and cost-effective meal delivery within a one-mile radius of our restaurant,” said the enthusiastic owner.

Innovative technology

Photo: Twitter

According to the statement, the advantage is that they will be able to deliver orders «within a one-mile radius» of the restaurant and that they will be able to do so while helping to keep the community in which they are located «environmentally clean and safe».

With this initiative, Chick-fil-A steps into the future, just as restaurant chains such as El Pollo Loco or Chili’s have done. They have been testing drones, bots and other technologies to reduce delivery time, costs and especially to be able to operate with a smaller labor force and employees are harder to find.

Other improvements to the service

Photo: Twitter

This is not the first time Chick-fil-A has made improvements to its service using cutting-edge technology. Just last fall, the company launched three virtual concepts in Nashville, initially to use self-delivery, the magazine Restaurant Dive reported.

In addition, some Chick-fil-A restaurants already have robot servers that move seamlessly through the establishment, bringing customers their food orders to their tables. Do you like this type of service or do you prefer to interact with a real live person? SEE FULL VIDEO HERE.

How do the robots work?

Photo: Shutterstock

The Kiwibot and Starship robots are smaller and have the limitation that they can only drive on sidewalks. However, Refraction’s bots have some other advantages: They are bigger, faster, can cover larger suburban areas and can also navigate in inclement weather, says the company’s website.

The Refraction robot can carry about six grocery bags, which also makes it ideal for grocery and retail delivery. The most incredible thing is that it does not go on the sidewalk like other robots, it drives in the street! Will this technology be sustainable in the long term?