QSR July 2022

INNOVATE / CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43

Texas where the minimum is $7.25, there are significant savings from the jump,” Higue ros says, adding the hourly cost of one of Bear’s hospitality servers runs about $2.50. Hospitality bots are just one part of the automated delivery conversations. Brands like Nuro, a California-based robotics com pany focusing on driverless vehicles, are also making headway. Nuro specializes in driverless vehicles and is partnering with some major players in the space in an effort to shift delivery fulfillment. At the end of 2021, Nuro announced it would partner with 7-Eleven on an autonomous delivery pilot using Nuro’s fleet of Toy ota Priuses, with plans of later introducing Nuro’s R2 bots, the company’s autonomous custom-built robots designed to transport products and goods without any occupants in the vehicle. The test is in Mountain View, California, and is accessible through the 7NOW app. Nuro was the first autonomous vehicle company to receive a deployment permit from the California DMV. Autono mous delivery services like the one offered by Nuro solve several problems operators

are running up against, including the lack of available delivery drivers. “We are seeing demand for autonomous delivery across all types of industries and businesses, and we’re working to address that demand across food, grocery, parcels, convenience, prescriptions, and more,” says Cosimo Leipold, head of partnerships at Nuro. “The demand was there before the pandemic, and it’s only growing. People want things quickly and at an affordable price.” “We believe this technology will increase the overall market, while creating more ful filling jobs inside restaurants and in other roles besides delivery––and at the same time, lowering the cost of home delivery for con sumers,” he adds. While convenience and cost-effective business practices are para mount today, one of the biggest benefits of automated delivery, Leipold says, is the impact it has on the environment. Partner ing with brands like Nuro, he says, can go a long way in transforming an ordinary busi ness to a sustainable one. Leipold adds Nuro’s occupant-less deliv ery helps eliminate unnecessary trips to stores

and restaurants, which he says make up roughly half of the errands Americans run. “The fact that the transportation sector is the number one contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., it’s frightening to realize how much pollution is created by these short trips,” he says. According to Steer, a global trans portation consulting firm used by Nuro, autonomous delivery services can protect the environment by avoiding up to 407 million tons of CO2 over the course of a decade, which is equivalent to the residential emis sions from the four largest cities in the U.S. Nuro uses 100 percent renewable energy generated from wind farms in Texas to power the brands’ battery-electric fleet, meaning the entire operation is sustain able. “Ultimately, we believe the future of delivery must be zero emissions, which is why we are so excited about the potential of our battery-electric vehicles,” Leipold says. Futuristic technological advances in the space don’t stop at hospitality bots or driv erless delivery vehicles. Flytrex, a company specializing in drone delivery, is also break ing onto the scene and recently partnered with Jersey Mike’s. Customers within Fly trex’s delivery zone can order food through the Flytrex app from partnering restaurants. Then, Flytrex’s drones fly within the des ignated flight radius and deliver the food from the sky, lowering the product(s) with a rope and hook right into the backyard of the customer. Currently, Flytrex is only focused on suburban markets. Yariv Bash, CEO and co-founder of Flytrex, says this is because it’s more economically and strategi cally viable to service those areas. There’s also the issue of getting clearance from the FAA to fly the drones, which is much eas ier in suburban skies versus urban settings. “This is a very nasty process,” Bash says of trying to get clearance from the FAA. “Only three companies focused on home drone delivery are doing what we’re doing.” Like the driverless vehicles at Nuro, Fly trex’s drones are also completely electric, meaning they have a much smaller carbon footprint than other traditional delivery models. “It’s a lot faster and a lot quieter,” Bash says. “We offer a much better solution for the customer and the restaurant. It’s a win-win for everyone.” q Trevor Griner is Food News Media’s Staff Writer. He can be reached at trevor@QSRmagazine.com.

INTRODUCI G:

THE SS-6 5 MINI PUMP SIMPLICITY S S

ĉ With it’s

small footprint and profile, the SS-645 Mini is made for the Convenience Store/ Limited Space Quick Serve Application. — Optional Stainless Steel Pump available.

WASTE OIL C RRIER

AT LAST: A solution to Counter-Top Fryer Waste Oil Disposal Conundrum.

Shortening-Sh l

800-533-5711

44

JULY 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com