Is There a Coco in Your Dining Future?
We here in South Park are sharing our sidewalks with lots of cute little four-wheeled robotic delivery vehicles. As take-out has become more of our dining experience, creative ways to make delivery of your order to your door quicker, more efficient, and cheaper have flourished.
I talked with Carl Hansen, representative of Coco, one of two major local robotic delivery companies last week and asked him a few questions about his operation:
Q - Tell us about the history of Coco.
A - Coco Robotics was founded in 2020 by UCLA alumni Brad Squicciarini and Zach Rash. Since launching that year, the company has completed over 500,000 zero-emission deliveries across major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami - and Helsinki, its first European market.
Q - In what areas/neighborhoods of Los Angeles is Coco currently operating?
A - Coco operates its robots across multiple cities, spanning from Santa Monica and Venice through West L.A., Westwood, Mid-City, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Echo Park, Silver Lake, downtown, Koreatown, and the USC area.
Q - Where is your downtown base of operation?
A - We have bots stationed at merchants and in a storage location in the Fashion District downtown.
Q - Does Coco handle only food delivery?
A - Right now we deliver for restaurants and grocers, and we deliver everything from pizza to ice cream. We are looking to expand to other items.
Q - How would I order a Coco delivery?
A - If you place an order with a merchant who has partnered with Coco and your address is within our service radius (usually between 1.5 and 2 miles) you will receive an alert that a Coco will fulfill your order. A customer can always opt out, although that rarely happens. They can then track the order on their phone and unlock the Coco from their phone when it arrives at the delivery location.
Q - I live in a high-rise. How would I know my order is outside waiting for me to pick up?
A - The order website will allow you to drop a pin exactly where you'd like to meet it. If someone is unable to come to the curb, and needs an order delivered to a high-rise apartment, they can opt out, and the order would be carried by whatever service the merchant uses for orders outside of Coco's service radius.
Q - How are Coco vehicles operated/controlled?
A - Every pilot has a single operator observing the bot at all times from the cameras circling the bot. We have autonomous safety features that automatically slow the bot when they near a person or pet.
Q - How much would be added to my bill if I used Coco for delivery of my order instead of picking up my order in person?
A - This depends on how the merchant handles the orders, but generally every order will be a significantly better deal for both the merchant and the customer.
Q - Any plans for more varied robot services in downtown LA?
A - Yes! Nothing we can share just yet, but we hope to have some fun announcements soon.
The next time you order a cheeseburger for home delivery, why not use Coco for your delivery! You’ll be helping the environment and participating in the future!
By John Nilsson