DoorDash is betting big on robots to deliver your next meal. The food delivery giant just announced a multi-year partnership with Serve Robotics to deploy sidewalk delivery bots across Los Angeles and eventually nationwide. This comes just a week after DoorDash unveiled its own autonomous bot called Dot, signaling the company's aggressive push into multimodal delivery automation.
DoorDash just made its boldest move yet in the autonomous delivery wars. The food delivery platform announced Thursday it's partnering with Serve Robotics to roll out sidewalk delivery bots across Los Angeles, with plans to expand nationwide in a multi-year deal that could reshape last-mile logistics.
The timing isn't coincidental. Just last week, DoorDash unveiled Dot, its own proprietary delivery robot that's already hitting Phoenix streets. Unlike Serve's sidewalk-only bots, Dot can navigate roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks at speeds up to 20 mph, giving DoorDash a unique edge in what VP of Autonomy Ashu Rege calls "dense suburban deliveries."
"We felt there was a gap," Rege told TechCrunch. "On one end, you have sidewalk robots, and on the other hand robotaxis, which are great for moving people, but they do not address the delivery problem of that last 10 feet. A burrito is not going to walk itself to your door."
This dual-robot strategy puts DoorDash in direct competition with Uber, which has been striking partnerships with autonomous vehicle companies across its ride-hail, delivery and freight businesses. Serve Robotics already works with Uber, and similar to gig workers, the company's bots will now serve both platforms simultaneously.
But DoorDash is taking a different approach by building its own technology stack alongside partnerships. It's a risky move that's burned other companies before. Uber sold its self-driving unit after burning through millions, Lyft offloaded its autonomous division to Toyota, and AV startup Nuro pivoted from manufacturing after realizing it was a "capital sinkhole."
Rege believes DoorDash will succeed where others failed, pointing to the company's financial strength. DoorDash posted its first profitable year in 2024 and reported record profits in the first half of 2025, driven by a 20% jump in delivery volumes. The company plans to manufacture Dot at scale, though Rege declined to share specifics.
The partnership with Serve adds another 2-wheeler to DoorDash's growing autonomous fleet. The company has already inked deals with sidewalk bot startup Coco and drone startup Wing, all part of what Rege calls "a broader plan to become a platform for multimodal deliveries."
The strategy makes sense as order volumes surge. DoorDash needs more delivery capacity, and robots offer a cost-effective alternative to human drivers for routine orders. The company says it'll reserve human workers for "complex" restaurant, retail or grocery trips while bots handle the straightforward stuff.
Serve Robotics, which raised $80 million earlier this year, brings proven sidewalk navigation tech that complements DoorDash's road-capable Dot. While Dot targets suburban areas within a 3-5 mile radius, Serve's bots excel in dense urban environments where sidewalk delivery makes more sense.
The move signals DoorDash's confidence in autonomous delivery's commercial viability. Unlike previous experiments by ride-hailing companies, DoorDash is entering the space from a position of profitability with clear use cases for different robot types across various environments.
DoorDash's dual-track robotics strategy represents a calculated bet on autonomous delivery's future. By combining proprietary technology with strategic partnerships, the company is positioning itself to dominate last-mile logistics across urban and suburban markets. With record profits funding expansion and proven demand for delivery services, DoorDash might just succeed where Uber and Lyft failed - but the real test will be scaling manufacturing and operations while maintaining service quality that keeps customers ordering.
