Dōmo arigatō, Mr. Roboto.
The City of North Vancouver’s sidewalks could soon be populated by autonomous robots making food deliveries.
Serve Robotics, a San Francisco-based tech company, has about 2,000 such bots delivering beef rendang and kung pao chicken in U.S. markets already. The company has been meeting with officials from the city as well as representatives from Surrey and Vancouver with hopes to launch “in the very near future.”
“We’ve been engaged with the City of North Vancouver, specifically the mayor’s office and the transportation division since last year. All of our interactions so far have been very positive. They’ve been very welcoming,” said Yariel Diaz, director of government affairs for Serve Robots. “I can tell you that we’re pretty close.”
In 2023, the province passed legislation notionally allowing for delivery robots in B.C., but left it to municipalities to create their own bylaws to govern where and how they can be used.
If they get the necessary regulatory approvals, the company will partner with an already existing app-based food delivery services like Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Hungry consumers will be able to place their orders as they would normally. When their food is ready, restaurant staff will lock it into the robot’s insulated compartment and it will follow the sidewalks to its destination at about four to six kilometres per hour. When it arrives, the robot will alert the buyer who can then unlock the bin with an app or touch screen and collect their delicious noms.
The pilot project would only have deliveries going out to locations within 2.5 kilometres of the restaurant preparing them, Diaz said.
“It can take anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes, and that’s about as long as a person is usually used to waiting for food,” he said.
Diaz specified that customers won’t have to tip the robot, and if they have prepaid a driver tip for delivery, it will be automatically refunded.
It will be up to individual restaurant owners to opt in to use the robots, and consumers will be given the option to have their delivery arrive by the old-fashioned flesh-and-blood method.
Restaurant owners tend to like the bots because they bring a “wow factor” and they get the delivery job done without needing customer parking, Diaz said.
Diaz acknowledged that not everyone may like the idea of robots replacing human workers, but he said the short-range trips the robots would be doing are ones that delivery drivers typically don’t want to do.
“They’re usually paid by the distance that they’re driving and whatever tips they’re receiving,” he said.
Other people may not be keen on sharing sidewalks with mechanized delivery systems, but Diaz said the company has learned a lot since the robots were first deployed in L.A. in 2020. They’ve since expanded to Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Alexandria, Va.
“Safety is our top priority. We want to make sure that when we’re operating in public spaces, we do so in a way that is both meaningful and not obstructing the ability for others to use this space,” he said, adding that municipalities have the ability to restrict where they can and can’t go.
In a statement, City of North Vancouver staff said they are still reviewing the potential pilot.
“The proposal is being considered in the context of Lower Lonsdale where steep slopes can be challenging for some residents to get food, pick up prescriptions or complete other daily needs,” the statement read. “The city is evaluating the transportation benefits and risks for this emerging technology, as well as the provincial and local regulations that would be required. Staff will bring the proposal of a pilot to council for consideration in the spring.”
City staff were on hand for a demonstration of the robots hosted by the City of Surrey last week.
“I know that we’re providing them as much information as they need to make their decision,” Diaz said.
Originally written by: Brent Richter
Source: North Shore News
Published on: 5 February 2026
Link to original article: City of North Vancouver to consider food delivery robots
