Notre Dame has housed a fleet of food-delivery robots since February 2023, when an initial batch of 30 began to whir around campus. The fleet rose to 50 despite mixed reactions from students. Now, their presence on University streets and sidewalks is coming to an end.
“We’ve made the decision to wind down our U.S. campus operations as we shift our strategic focus to retail grocery chains and hot food delivery in cities across Europe and the United States,” Ahti Heinla, co-founder and CEO of robot-operator Starship Technologies, wrote in a message shared via a spokesperson to The Observer.
According to the company’s press release, 1,200 robots across U.S. college campuses will now be redeployed elsewhere.
“Grocery delivery is on a 10x growth trajectory for us over the next two years,” Heinla wrote. We’re looking to replicate that success with new U.S. retailer partnerships.”
Heinla called universities ”engines of innovation” that supported the company when it started out, but indicated that grocery operations presented a greater opportunity.
The robots transfer; the operational model does not,“ Heinla said. “One is seasonal and contract-driven, the other is a 365-day urban business requiring different infrastructure, different retail partnerships, and a different go-to-market approach.”
Delivery orders via the robots have been placed through the Grubhub app. The food delivery company and Starship Technologies have collaborated since Fall 2022 — the same general time that Grubhub worked with University Operations, Events, and Safety to establish routes at Notre Dame ahead of launching a fleet.
The robots can no longer be found at the University, and Grubhub has removed the delivery option from its on-campus services.
According to Heinla, Starship Technologies is working closely with campuses to minimize disruption as they “officially wind down campus operations over the coming summer months.”
“This is a vendor-driven decision and is not unique to Notre Dame,” Notre Dame Dining wrote in a statement to The Observer. “We recognize that robot delivery has been a convenient and valued service for many members of our campus community, and we will continue to evaluate mobile ordering, pickup, delivery, and other service models that support convenience, accessibility, and reliable access to food across campus.”
Grubhub did not respond to a request for comment. University Operations, Events, and Safety deferred to Notre Dame Dining for comment.
