Murphy USA (NYSE: MUSA) today announced an initial rollout of an emerging autonomous foodservice platform in select larger-format stores, providing customers another convenient way to access hot, branded food during their everyday stop.
The platform, developed by Automated Retail Technologies (ART), will launch featuring White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain. The initiative is grounded in customer insights that continue to highlight demand for convenient, high-quality food options that fit busy schedules, quick trips and on-the-go occasions.
The new offer is designed to meet customers where they already are, whether fueling up, grabbing a drink, or picking up items for the day, while allowing Murphy USA to evaluate how autonomous foodservice can enhance the customer experience within its existing operating model and store footprint.
Building on Murphy USA’s Core Strengths
Murphy USA has built its business by delivering value, convenience and operational excellence through a disciplined, low-cost operating model.
The autonomous foodservice platform complements that model by introducing hot, branded food without the space, labor, infrastructure and complexity associated with a traditional restaurant or full commercial kitchen.
“We’re continually evaluating opportunities that create additional value for our customers while building on the strengths that have made Murphy USA successful,” said Scott Woodward, Murphy USA Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer. “This relationship allows us to introduce a new convenience offering informed by customer insights, while maintaining the operational discipline and focus on everyday value. We’re encouraged by the opportunity to drive incremental inside sales, traffic and basket growth.”
White Castle Selected as Launch Brand
White Castle will serve as the launch partner for the autonomous platform, bringing one of America’s most iconic restaurant and CPG brands to Murphy USA customers in a new and highly convenient format.
“At White Castle, we’ve spent more than a century finding innovative ways to bring our Crave to customers wherever they are,” said Audra Mazzeo, White Castle Vice President of Retail Sales. “This partnership creates a unique opportunity to meet customers during their everyday routines and deliver the White Castle experience in a way that is convenient, fast, and incredibly tasty.”
The Technology Behind the Experience
ART’s Just Baked autonomous platform transforms a compact retail footprint into an automated hot-food destination, enabling hot, branded food to be prepared on demand with significantly less space and infrastructure than traditional foodservice formats.
Customers place orders through an intuitive touchscreen interface and receive hot food in approximately two minutes. Behind the scenes, ART’s technology automates preparation, heating, and delivery within a self-contained system. The technology is also designed as a modular, multi-brand platform capable of supporting nationally recognized brands, regional favorites and a variety of food categories over time.
“This partnership is about more than technology,” said David Chessler, Founder of Automated Retail Technologies. “Together with Murphy USA and White Castle, we’re making hot, branded food easier to access in locations where customers already shop every day.”
A Disciplined Approach to Innovation
Murphy USA’s strategy has always been grounded in delivering value to customers while running the business with discipline. This initiative reflects that same approach by evaluating a new foodservice model that can enhance convenience, strengthen customer experience, and support long-term, profitable growth.
This initiative combines that operating philosophy with automation and robotics to explore a new model for convenience foodservice, one designed to enhance the customer experience, expand food offerings, drive incremental store traffic and support long-term profitable growth.
The collaboration brings together Murphy USA’s national retail footprint and operational expertise, White Castle’s iconic food brand, and ART’s autonomous foodservice technology to create a platform with the potential to reshape how hot, branded food is delivered in convenience retail.
About Murphy USA
Murphy USA (NYSE: MUSA) is a leading retailer of gasoline and convenience merchandise with more than 1,800 stores located primarily in the Southwest, Southeast, Midwest and Northeast United States. The Company and its team of approximately 16,900 employees serve an estimated two million customers each day through its network of retail gasoline and convenience stores in 27 states. The majority of Murphy USA’s stores are located in close proximity to Walmart Supercenters, but we also operate standalone stores that market gasoline and other products under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands. Murphy USA ranks 263 among Fortune 500 companies.
About Automated Retail Technologies
Automated Retail Technologies (ART) is an autonomous foodservice technology company developing robotic solutions that enable hot, branded food to be prepared and served on demand in compact retail environments. Through its Just Baked platform, ART combines proprietary automation technology with leading food brands to create a scalable automated foodservice solution for convenience stores, hotels, universities, workplaces, airports, and other high-traffic locations.
About White Castle
White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders since 1921. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the family-owned business owns and operates 341 restaurants as well as a retail division providing its famous fare in freezer aisles of retail stores nationwide. As part of its commitment to offering the highest quality products, White Castle owns and operates its own Slider Provider meat plants, bakeries and frozen-Slider retail plants.
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