SW Sodexo

If you haven’t seen the newest four-wheeled residents on campus at Loyola Marymount University yet, chances are you will soon! Today, Loyola Marymount University, LMU Dining and Kiwibot have partnered to deliver hot, fresh meals anywhere on campus via nearly a dozen adorable, zero-emission robots. Since launching a trial run in September, more than 500 deliveries have been completed across campus.

Through the Sodexo Bite U app, Loyola Marymount students, faculty and visitors can order from two Sodexo-serviced campus locations, including Qdoba and Iggy’s Café using their meal plan dollars. The program will expand to additional locations in Spring 2022.

“We’re always looking for fun, innovative and eco-friendly food service programs to add to the LMU dining experience, and this partnership with Sodexo and Kiwibot is a perfect example of that,” said Andrew O’Reilly, senior director of auxiliary and business services at Loyola Marymount University. “In addition, the Kiwibot experience is a fun and useful convenience for everyone to take advantage of. It will never be used to eliminate jobs or reduce labor needs within our dining facilities. In fact, the more successful the program, the more people we can hire to support the robots.”

“Our partnership with Kiwibot offers another safe, convenient option for users to get what they want, when they want it,” said Anca Reyes CDM, CFPP, resident district manager for LMU Dining by Sodexo. “We look forward to expanding it to many more locations in the coming months.”

How Does Kiwibot Work?

Kiwibot robots deliver fresh food via locked compartments that only the recipient can open through the Kiwibot app. Each robot is thoroughly sanitized between deliveries, and average deliveries will arrive in 20 to 35 minutes, depending on distance and peak meal delivery times. Each delivery will cost $2, plus 10 percent of the order size. Now through Nov. 14, all new users of Sodexo’s Bite U app will receive free delivery on their first purchase. Kiwibot deliveries can only be ordered via the Bite U app, and Kiwibot delivery hours are dependent upon regular Sodexo location business hours.

Based in Los Angeles, Kiwibot currently operates at more than seven locations around the world, including: campuses and cities in California, Florida, Pittsburgh and Michigan.

David Rodriguez, director of strategy and business operations at Kiwibot, said the company launched in 2017 in Berkeley, Calif. and started expanding in the U.S. last year. Kiwibot’s popularity grew as the COVID-19 pandemic created a demand for delivery services. Kiwibot was also used to deliver supplies to multiple food banks in several locations across the country.

ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY Loyola Marymount University is an elite top-ranked national university by U.S. News and World Report, which places LMU among the top five Jesuit universities in the country and in the top six private universities in California. Founded in 1911, LMU is a Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount university with more than 6,500 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. LMU offers 60 undergraduate majors and 56 minor programs, along with 49 master’s degree programs, three doctorate programs and 14 credential/authorization programs. LMU’s intercollegiate athletics teams compete in the West Coast Conference with 20 Division I and varsity sports. LMU news and events are found at: www.lmu.edu/news.

About Kiwibot

Kiwibot is a service on a mission to revolutionize food delivery by utilizing semi-autonomous robots. Since its launch in 2017, Kiwibot has completed more than 150,000 food deliveries and built more than 400 robots. The company aspires to develop the world’s largest robotic fleet, most convenient delivery service and first-ever internet of atoms.

About Sodexo

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 56 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management, and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities, and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily.

# # #

Attachment

• Loyola Marymount University, LMU Dining And Kiwibot Bring Robot Delivery Service to Campus

Heidi Bullman
Sodexo
heidi.bullman@sodexo.com