Delivery

Wonder's delivery robots move past pilot phase

Photo: Wonder

November 2, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

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Wonder is expanding its autonomous robot delivery partnership with Avride to four markets, a year after the companies first tested the robots at Wonder's Jersey City, New Jersey, location.

The rollout covers Jersey City; Hoboken, New Jersey; Arlington County, Virginia; and Philadelphia, bringing robot delivery to dozens of additional merchants on the Grubhub marketplace. Each market includes at least one Wonder location, with more merchants to be added over time.

The expansion follows a Jersey City pilot that launched in October 2025. Nearly 20% of deliveries from Wonder's Jersey City location have been completed by robots since the pilot began, according to the companies.

Customers ordering from eligible restaurants on Grubhub may opt in to robot delivery if their address is within the service area. The option is built into Grubhub's existing ordering flow. Participating restaurants receive training and support, and the service is offered at no additional cost to them, said Sergei Kirillov, Avride's chief commercial officer.

The companies did not disclose what the partnership costs or how Avride is paid, saying they don't share the specific commercial details of their restaurant partnerships. Kirillov said the robots are designed to make deliveries more cost-effective.

"In dense, compact areas with repeat demand, they can provide an efficient option for short-distance deliveries and help reduce vehicle trips," Kirillov said in an email interview. "They can also give merchants a more affordable way to meet growing delivery demand. Partnership costs vary by market and operating model."

Wonder employees are trained through the company's standard operational onboarding process before robot delivery is turned on at a location, said Abhishek "PJ" Poykayil, executive vice president of customer delivery operations at Wonder. "Because the robots integrate into existing restaurant workflows, the process is simple and designed to fit naturally into day-to-day operations," Poykayil said in an email interview.

Wonder did not give a timeline for a return on the investment.

"We view autonomous delivery as a long-term investment in the future of food delivery," Poykayil said. "The results we've seen to date are encouraging, including strong adoption in Jersey City, and we're excited about the potential for autonomous delivery to create additional efficiencies as the program scales."

He said the robots are not meant to replace workers.

"The goal of this partnership is to enhance the customer experience and expand delivery capacity, not reduce staffing," Poykayil said. "We view autonomous delivery as a complementary solution that helps support growing demand and improve operational flexibility. Our team members remain central to the customer experience, from preparing orders to supporting day-to-day operations."

Grubhub customers in the four markets will see the robot delivery option at checkout when their address falls within the service area.

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About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is Publisher of FastCasual.com and Vice President of Connect Food. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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