Technology / 06.22.22

Robotic Delivery Expands at Sports Venues

Access Staff

VenuesNow (06/16/22) Muret, Don

Robotic delivery is spreading throughout sports venues as concessionaires seek to improve the fan experience and produce incremental revenue. Bay Area tech vendor Tortoise has agreements with Aramark and Legends at Capital One Arena and Golden 1 Center, respectively, to test its remote-operated "store on wheels," while the Atlanta Hawks are using the technology as part of their in-house merchandise operation at State Farm Arena. Teams and food providers said Tortoise receives 10% of total sales via a revenue-sharing model; the robots are engineered with a Near Field Communication system linked to tap-to-pay transactions to satisfy demand for impulse buys, while cameras inside them record orders. Tortoise takes ApplePay, GooglePay and other credit cards embedded with tap-to-pay technology. Meanwhile, Levy tested the Bear Robotics system in an all-inclusive club at Toyota Center over the past NBA season. Food service consultant Mike Plutino said robotics is still viewed mainly as a novelty, although "it might make sense because everyone is focused on how to reduce staff and improve efficiency."

Read the full story on VenuesNow. 

Tags: Technology , Robotics