Chipotle announced Thursday that the Newport Beach, Calif.-based restaurant chain would be investing in autonomous delivery company, Nuro as part of their series C round of funding. This is the first major third-party technology investment the company has made since CEO Brian Niccol took the helm in 2018…

Nuro uses robotics to power their fleet of “R2” driverless delivery vehicles, which are designed to transport consumer goods quickly, efficiently and without the need for third-party delivery drivers.

Chipotle has not confirmed whether or not they will be implementing the technology at their own stores, but simply have stated that the investment is part of their technology “journey:”

Chipotle’s digital business grew 174% in 2020, and the company says it attributes that growth partially to early investments in digital technology like their Chipotlanes and third-party delivery partnerships, and now they are looking to expand their tech reach outside of their 2020 accomplishments.
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