Students’ eating habits changed when delivery robots invaded campus

After a fleet of 25 delivery robots descended on George Mason University’s campus in January, school officials could only speculate about the machines’ long-term impact.

The Igloo cooler-sized robots from the Bay Area start-up Starship Technologies – which were designed to deliver food on demand across campus – appeared to elicit curious glances and numerous photos, but not much else.

Today, some of that data emerged for the first time. In the two months since the robots arrived at the Fairfax, Virginia-based school, an extra 1,500 breakfast orders have been delivered autonomously, according to Starship Technologies and Sodexo, a company that manages food services for GMU on contract and works closely with the robots.

“Research has shown that up to 88 percent of college students skip breakfast, primarily because of lack of time, but that number is starting to turn around when delivery robots arrive on campus,” Starship Technologies said in a statement Monday.

“This follows a similar pattern seen at corporate campuses where delivery robots were added,” the statement added, referring to an uptick in breakfast orders.

The robots make food deliveries all over the 800-acre campus, school officials say. Though they’re frequently seen making the 15 minute trip from campus restaurants to a handful of nearby dorms, the robots make deliveries to buildings across campus, where students meet them when they’re en route to class or studying.

During the first day of deliveries at GMU, the machines were flooded by so many dinner orders that school officials had to pull the plug, shutting off orders so that robots weren’t operating late into the night, far behind schedule. Each robot is opened using a delivery code and can carry up to 20 pounds – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods, Starship Technologies said.

The company didn’t reveal whether dinner orders returned to normal levels after their early spike or offer any theories about why the machines were being used so heavily in the morning hours beyond “convenience.” But perhaps the answer is not much of a mystery.

Sodexo officials have noted that college students are prolific users of food delivery apps and place a high value on convenience and having access to multiple options when they dine. Combine college students love of food delivery with chaotic morning routines and, perhaps, you have a perfect recipe for robots.

“During the week, people generally want quicker,” Bruce Dean, CEO of 100-unit Black Bear Diner, told Restaurant Business, referring to people placing a premium on speed during breakfast. “They get to work, they have an hour at lunch. But on weekends people will wait to get in and sit at the table and that’s great for us.”

Starship Technologies says GMU is the first campus in the country to incorporate robots into its student dining plan. With a growing number of students using delivery services like Uber Eats and DoorDash, the robots – which travel 4 mph and make deliveries in 15 minutes or less – are part of an ambitious plan to keep some of that business on campus.

How does the delivery system work? The robot’s $1.99 delivery fee – which students can pay through their meal plan - goes to Starship Technologies, and GMU receives a percentage of the food sales. School officials say more sales means more money for the university.

The robots also provide campus officials with valuable data showing what time students are eating, where that food is coming from and how meal plans are being used. Though that information won’t be monetized by the school, school official say, it could lead to changes in how the university serves students over time.

Starship Technologies announced Monday that more than 30 robots are launching at Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Flagstaff campus.