FGCU Adds Fifteen Food Delivery Robots

Florida Gulf Coast University's dining services have deployed fifteen AVRide robots to deliver campus food orders.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Robotics

Compact white six-wheeled delivery robot rolling along a brick campus walkway lined with palms and low modern buildings in Florida sunlight. — FGCU Dining Services has deployed fifteen AVRide delivery robots on campus, replacing its former Starship fleet, to carry GrubHub orders fee-free through December 4. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Would you use delivery robots for campus food orders if they were available?

FGCU Dining Services has deployed fifteen new food delivery robots on campus, replacing the former Starship robot fleet. The AVRide robots deliver orders from Einstein's, Dunkin, Boar's Head, and Fresh Mex through GrubHub during campus dining hours.

Why it matters

The rollout gives students in Fort Myers and across the FGCU campus a faster, fee-free option for getting food during the semester. It also shows how campus dining operations are adopting autonomous delivery systems.

The AVRide robots use LIDAR to identify colors, including stoplights, and ultrasonic sensors that give a 360-degree view and can hold about six large pizzas. The source does not report independent testing of these capabilities or how they perform in heavy foot traffic.

The players

Florida Gulf Coast University

A public university in Fort Myers, Florida, known for its campus dining operations and student services.

AVRide

The robotics company whose fleet of delivery robots now serves the FGCU campus, replacing the former Starship fleet.

The details

Students order through GrubHub, and the robots deliver food from Einstein's, Dunkin, Boar's Head, and Fresh Mex without a delivery fee. A promotion with forty golden tickets offering a $10 discount runs through December 4, the end of the semester.

November 4, 2026: FGCU Dining Services deploys the fifteen-robot fleet.
December 4, 2026: The no-fee delivery promotion ends at the close of the semester.

Roadmap

The AVRide fleet succeeds the Starship robots that previously made deliveries on the FGCU campus, marking a shift to a new delivery provider. The change extends campus autonomous food delivery to a larger fleet of fifteen units.

Students can order food through GrubHub for delivery across campus during dining hours, with no delivery fees through December 4. Orders typically arrive within 20 to 30 minutes, and a promotion with golden tickets offers a $10 discount for selected recipients.

The takeaway

Campus delivery robots can cut wait times and fees for students, but their real value depends on reliability during busy dining periods. Students who order during the promotion window should note the December 4 end date.