The companies have not announced a launch date, the number of participating Philadelphia restaurants or how many additional robots may be deployed. Customers will be able to choose robot delivery when ordering from participating restaurants if their destination is within the service area. The expansion also covers Hoboken, New Jersey, and Arlington County, Virginia, along with a larger service area in Jersey City, where the companies began testing the technology last year.

Avride’s robots already deliver Uber Eats orders in Philadelphia, where roughly a dozen are in the city at a time, with the number fluctuating according to demand. The machines began operating for customers on March 10 after about a year of testing. They generally travel no more than 2 miles per delivery and move at up to 5 mph.

Wonder, which acquired Grubhub in 2025, runs food halls that prepare meals from multiple restaurant concepts. The company has 16 Philadelphia locations, including in Fishtown, South Philadelphia, University City and Rittenhouse. Wonder executive vice president of customer delivery PJ Poykayil said the expansion reflects a belief that food delivery will be increasingly powered by technology.

The rollout comes amid a contentious reception for sidewalk robots. Residents have kicked, vandalized and blocked the devices since they began appearing in Center City, Chinatown and Old City. In April, Philadelphia resident Li Gordon-Washington said a robot bumped her from behind as she waited near 15th and Locust streets, leaving her with a scratch.

The debate has also focused on workers. On Oct. 14, retired University of Pennsylvania communications professor Carolyn Marvin, 78, was arrested after refusing to move out of a robot’s path. She received a criminal violation notice for disorderly conduct and said she intends to challenge it on First Amendment grounds. Marvin said she was protesting the possible displacement of human delivery workers by automated technology.

Unlike an earlier arrangement that led some restaurant owners to say they did not know they had been signed up for robot pickups, the Grubhub expansion is planned as an opt-in program for participating restaurants. Grubhub has not said whether robot orders will carry the same pricing terms as Uber Eats robot deliveries, which the company said had no additional charge or tipping requirement.

Pennsylvania law classifies personal delivery devices as pedestrians, allowing them on sidewalks and crosswalks. They must yield to pedestrians and cyclists, and companies need authorization from PennDOT to operate. Philadelphia also requires companies to notify the Streets Department at least 30 days before starting service and identify their operating areas; the city can bar devices from places where they pose a hazard.

A proposal before City Council could add further restrictions. Introduced by Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. in May, the bill would require registration and reporting by food delivery companies and impose a $1,000 fee for each delivery made by an autonomous unit on city sidewalks. The proposal remains in committee and has not become law.