Visitors to last month’s Comic-Con in San Diego were buying their burritos from mobile robots developed by California-based Tortoise.

Sodexo Live, hospitality partner to the San Diego Convention Center, teamed up with Tortoise to launch the mobile vending robot. The custom-wrapped mobile smart store was available to attendees during Comic-Con, the first in-person return of the celebrated event since 2019.

As the world’s premier pop culture convention, past Comic-Con events have attracted more than 135,000 attendees.

“Entering into the convention centre space is exciting,” said Dmitry Shevelenko, president of Tortoise. “With Sodexo Live’s track record in providing hospitality for some of the best and biggest convention centres in the country, we knew we could form a strong relationship to ultimately provide a fun new experience for guests.”

Tortoise says its forward-thinking technology paves a path for the future of live event and hospitality tech by allowing fans to access food and beverage quickly and on-the-go, ensuring shorter queues and that fans don’t miss out on any of the action.

Tortoise’s separate compartments were stocked with California burritos created by Sodexo Live. Executive chef Sufi Karaie and the team at the San Diego Convention Centre try to use locally sourced ingredients, often purchasing from area partners within a 240km radius of the convention centre. The Tortoise robot has a vibrant design, making it eye-catching and easy for fans to spot in the crowd.

“We’re always looking to innovate the guest experience in a way that is both helpful and exciting,” said Steve Pangburn, CEO for North America at Sodexo Live. “Tortoise gives us an opportunity to bring our fresh, chef-driven food directly to event goers in a way that is efficient and user-friendly. We know that fans are eager to attend this year’s in-person festivities, and we anticipate this innovative tech experience will be a big hit with those looking for high quality grab-and-go.”

Convention guests could approach the roaming low-speed cart, tap to pay with a credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, take their item, and go. Transactions took less than 15 seconds to complete.

Sodexo Live’s culinary team was also responsible for creating the popular limited-edition chocolate bars that are produced each year at Comic-Con. A thousand of each of the four bars are sold per day.

The San Diego Convention Center hosts conventions, trade shows and community events that benefit the city of San Diego and advance the region’s convention and tourism industry.

Sodexo Live manages conference, cultural and sporting venues and major events all over the world. With 40,000 employees and 500 sites, it offers clients a range of bespoke catering, sales and event management services.