Grubhub Ends Mobile Delivery Relationship With Russian Internet Company Yandex

Online food ordering giant Grubhub is calling it quits on its mobile robot delivery service partnership with Russian Internet company Yandex N.V., according to a recent report from Reuters.

“We will be ending our partnership with Yandex,” Grubhub stated to Reuters on Friday. “We’re working with our campus partners on alternate service options as we shift away from Yandex over time.”

A short-lived partnership

Yandex came to an agreement with Grubhub in July 2021 to have its autonomous mobile robots deployed at college campuses nationwide. Grubhub is owned by Dutch multinational company Just Eat Takeaways. The company said it has partnered with more than 250 college campuses around the U.S.

“Together with Yandex, we’re changing the way college students experience food delivery,” said Brian Madigan, vice president of corporate and campus partners at Grubhub, at the time. “We’re excited to offer these cost-effective, scalable, and quick food ordering and delivery capabilities to colleges and universities across the country that are looking to adapt to students’ unique dining needs."

In August 2021, Yandex launched its first collegiate delivery service at Ohio State University. In November, it started providing deliveries at the University of Arizona.

Yandex unveiled the latest version of its delivery robot in November. Source: Yandex

Russian companies face backlash

Grubhub did not specify why it was ending its relationship with the company, but it comes amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reuters noted that many Russian companies are “being shunned globally” in response to the conflict.

Yandex is a multinational company that offers a variety of Internet services and products, including search. It has been described as Russia’s version of Google. The company said it is in danger of defaulting in response to the Russian backlash, CNN reported.

Yandex's recent advancements

The company deployed its first delivery robot in 2019 but has been developing its self-driving technology since 2017. It claimed that its delivery robots have done more than 10,000 deliveries around the world.

In November, the company unveiled the third generation of its delivery robot. In addition to a new design, the unmanned carrier was outfitted with more storage, a removable battery, and more cameras.

That same month, Yandex announced a partnership with Majid Al Futtaim to offer its self-driving service at shopping malls and other retail spots in Dubai.