As you have probably noticed, Starship Technologies recently donated some food delivery robots to the university. This makes George Mason the first campus to have delivery robots that didn’t randomly catch fire (sorry U.C. Berkeley)! These robots currently deliver items from Blaze Pizza, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks and Second Stop but plan to add more options, such as Chick Fil A and Steak ‘n Shake, soon. According to an article published by CBS, the robots can carry up to twenty pounds (three pizzas worth!) of food.
Living in Liberty Square leaves me a good 5-10 minute walk away from the Johnson Center. And with this weather, walking there for food is the last thing I want to do. I’ll admit it, when I first heard about these little guys I was super skeptical but after a while I decided to give in and try it out for myself.
After placing my order, the app gave me my expected delivery time. After the food had been picked up by the robot, I got to see a map showing me exactly where the robot was so I would be ready to go pick it up when it arrived. Not only can you use a credit card to pay but you can also use your Mason Money, Bonus or Freedom Funds to order!
Screenshot via Starship Delivery app
I’m not sure exactly how long it took for my food to be delivered but it was probably a little over 30 minutes, which isn’t too bad. I met the robot outside of my building, unlocked it using the Starship app, got my food and went back into the warmth of my apartment building.
Photo courtesy of author
Overall, I had a good experience with Starship! My food wasn’t super hot when it arrived but that is understandable given how the weather has been recently. The delivery charge is only two dollars and you don’t have to worry about giving a tip. I’ve personally had some not so great experiences with other delivery services that involve humans so this service is great if you want to avoid any human interaction.
If you haven’t already, make sure to give this new service a try! They run from 8 in the morning to 9 in the evening every day, regardless of weather conditions!