Serve Robotics (SERV.US) won two major takeout order channels after leaving UBER.US (UBER.US)! The commercialization of delivery robots is expected to accelerate

Zhitong Finance App learned that the artificial intelligence (AI) robot company Serve Robotics (SERV.US) announced that it has reached a new partnership with Grubhub, an American online food delivery service platform, while expanding its cooperation with DoorDash (DASH.US), the largest takeout application in the US to two other US cities. This is the latest move taken by the company after its relationship with former investor Uber (UBER.US) broke down. As of press release, Serve Robotics's US stock rose more than 5% before the market on Monday.

Serve Robotics said in a statement Monday that the company will have its delivery robots execute DoorDash orders in Washington State and San Jose, California. Serve Robotics is currently partnering with DoorDash to provide services in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami. The robot developer also announced a new partnership with Wonder Group and its subsidiary Grubhub to provide automated delivery services to Los Angeles, Chicago, and Alexandria, Virginia.

As Serve Robotics gradually ended its partnership with Uber, which operates the second-largest takeout app in the US, these expanding partnerships have brought new development opportunities for Serve Robotics. Two weeks ago, Ali Kashani, co-founder and CEO of the second-largest takeout app in the US, said in an earnings call that the company has no intention of signing a delivery contract with Uber after it expires in early 2027. This month, Uber revealed that it had withdrawn its long-term investment in Serve Robotics in the second quarter due to serious differences between the two sides over how to deploy delivery robots.

In an interview before the announcement was released, Ali Kashani said that the expansion of the scope of cooperation with DoorDash and the increase in new orders brought about by Wonder Group and Grubhub will enable Serve Robotics to put more of its approximately 2,000 robots into daily operation. In the second quarter, due to low robot usage, Serve Robotics had an average of only 792 robots per day to form an active operating fleet. Serve Robotics previously listed low usage rates as one of the reasons it parted ways with Uber.

DoorDash is ahead of Uber Eats and GrubHub in US takeout market share

In addition, Serve Robotics also announced the launch of Beacon, a new device equipped with a modem, which will be provided free of charge to restaurants to alert restaurant staff that one of the robots has arrived. The device will also let restaurant staff know which robot should receive which takeout order.

Ali Kashani said Beacon will help Serve Robotics establish a direct connection with restaurants, thereby circumventing what he called a “fragmented” ecosystem composed of third-party software. These third-party software include point-of-sale systems (POS) or delivery platforms, and it's uncertain whether these systems have integrated automated delivery reminders for restaurant operators.

As part of a series of initiatives announced on Monday, Serve Robotics also said the company will begin renting space in busy locations to store a batch of delivery robots, so that these robots can go to nearby restaurants more quickly, rather than having all robots depart from central maintenance facilities that may be far from popular restaurants. The first batch of “microwarehouses” will be put into operation in Miami. These small operating sites can be responsible for charging, dispatching, and maintaining robots.

Serve Robotics said in a statement: “Microwarehouses require minimal infrastructure and can be quickly established in high-demand communities, providing Serve with a replicable model that enables companies to enter new communities and cities at a faster rate and at a lower cost.”