Food delivery robots have become a common sight in Chicago, operating under a pilot program approved in 2022. Two companies, Coco and Serve Robotics, are currently active in the city. Coco began its operations in 2024, while Serve launched its service in September of the same year.
Both companies are now seeking to expand their services into the entire 1st Ward, which covers parts of West Town, Wicker Park, and Logan Square. These areas include busy restaurant corridors such as Chicago Avenue, Milwaukee Avenue, and Division Street.
Alderman Daniel La Spata (1st) hosted a virtual community meeting on Monday to gather feedback from residents about the proposed expansion. Representatives from both Coco and Serve gave presentations and answered questions regarding their services.
Coco already operates in part of Wicker Park at the eastern edge of the ward. Serve had previously operated briefly before being asked by La Spata’s office to pause while licensing and boundary issues were resolved. Nicholas Zettel, chief of staff for La Spata’s office, explained this decision was based on resident feedback but emphasized it was not intended as a permanent move.
“We decided to pull that back based off of resident feedback, but we did not want to do so in the longterm unilaterally,” La Spata said on Monday. “There’s pros and cons to everything, from a congestion perspective, an employment perspective, an accessibility perspective.”
During the meeting, questions were raised about accessibility for pedestrians and people with disabilities, data collection practices by the companies, and pedestrian safety when robots are present on sidewalks or crosswalks.
Officials from both companies stated that if allowed access to the full ward they would likely operate around ten robots each per day—potentially more than twenty machines total at any given time. The robots are monitored remotely by human employees using video feeds. Their speed is capped at five miles per hour but often falls below that in crowded areas. Carl Hansen of Coco noted these operational details during his remarks.
Yariel Diaz from Serve said their robots help fill gaps for short deliveries—typically within one mile to one-and-a-half miles—that human drivers may decline. “It is an option for the consumer. It is an option that you’re given when you are ordering from a restaurant that partners with us. It is not a mandate,” Diaz said. He added that any prepaid tip is refunded if customers choose robot delivery instead of traditional options.
Despite some popularity among users in certain neighborhoods, there has been ongoing opposition as well. Lincoln Park resident Josh Robertson started a petition last year calling for a pause on robot deliveries until more information could be gathered; it had received over 3,300 signatures by early January according to its website.
In December 2025 Chicago introduced a new 311 category allowing residents to report safety concerns or complaints related to delivery robots following reports such as an incident covered by CBS Chicago where Anthony Jonas required stitches after colliding with one robot’s safety flag.
Both Diaz and Hansen maintained their companies have not reported any serious incidents since starting operations locally and argued their technology presents fewer risks compared with traditional vehicles: “If something goes wrong in a car, it is so much more serious than the rare occurrence that something were to go wrong with a delivery robot,” Hansen said.
Zettel indicated that Alderman La Spata’s office expects to make a decision about expanding robot operations soon but did not provide an exact timeline.
The current pilot program allowing food delivery robots will end unless extended by City Council beyond May 2027 according to city information.
