Robotic Coffee Drive-Thru In Mass. Has Your Drink Ready As You Pull Up – CoffeeTalk

P!ng is a robotic coffee pod in Massachusetts that eliminates the need to wait in line at traditional drive-thru locations. The pod has drinks ready as people pull up to it, and orders are placed through the p!ng app. Monitors track users’ movement, and the pod starts making orders once the driver is within 300 feet of the pod. Drivers must have their phone with the app in the car for the pod to recognize them.

Breakfasts are typically made within 30 seconds or less, but the end goal is to get drinks done within 15 seconds. Up to four drinks can be made with any order from one car and come out in the same window. Rob Whitten, co-founder of p!ng, believes that the industry is ripe for technology to improve customer experiences.

The app allows users to save their go-to order or browse the menu featuring beverages such as coffees, teas, lattes, refreshers, and energy drinks. Drinks come in one size and start at $2.95 for a basic hot coffee and $3.45 for an iced coffee. Users can also customize their orders by adding dairy preferences, sweeteners, flavors, or toppings for an additional 25-50 cents.

Founded in 2023, p!ng aims to remove inconveniences associated with drive-thrus, such as long lines, wait times, cars idling, traffic congestion, and mistakes with orders. The company has already had 61% repeat customers since its launch.

To address issues during the trial period, the duo plans to hire staff to be available onsite and restock the pod about every week. The only p!ng pod is located at 10 Technology Drive in Lowell, but Lo and Whitten plan to introduce more p!ng pods in residential areas throughout the state and the country in the coming years.

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