In a first, fast-food chain Wendy's deploys drones to deliver food in US

1 month ago 91

Mar 22, 2024 08:32 PM IST

The pilot program was initially rolled out on Thursday in Virginia's Christiansburg.

In a first, fast-food chain outlet Wendy's has started a new delivery program, deploying drones to deliver orders to the doorstep of the people in the United States, thanks to a new collaboration between DoorDash and Alphabet’s Wing, the food delivery company announced.

The citizens can choose the airflight option on DoorDash to receive their food parcel via drones.(Wendy's) The citizens can choose the airflight option on DoorDash to receive their food parcel via drones.(Wendy's)

The pilot program was initially rolled out on Thursday in Virginia's Christiansburg. The citizens can choose the airflight option on DoorDash to receive their food parcel via drones. Wing's autonomous drones would carry the selected eligible items, including Baconators, Frosties and chili, at 65 mph speed and upon reaching its destination, it would deliver the order to the doorstep using a tether.

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“Beginning today, when DoorDash customers with an eligible address in Christiansburg, VA, place a qualifying order in the DoorDash app from the Wendy’s located at 2355 N. Franklin Street, they will see the option to have their meal delivered by drone on the checkout page,” DoorDash said in a press release.

According to DoorDash, Most homes within a 2.5-mile radius of the 2355 N. Franklin Street Wendy’s location would be eligible for the service provided they have a lawn or other landing pad. All deliveries should take between 10 and 30 minutes.

The company also plans to expand the service to other US cities before the end of the year.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Wing in the U.S. to integrate drone delivery into DoorDash’s ecosystem. At DoorDash, we are committed to advancing last-mile logistics by building a multi-modal delivery platform that serves all sides of our marketplace. We’re optimistic about the value drone delivery will bring to our platform as we work to offer more efficient, sustainable, and convenient delivery options for consumers," Senior Director of DoorDash Labs, Harrison Shih said.

According to Qaurtz, drone delivery service is becoming a popular option for last-mile delivery services. Walgreens, Walmart, and Amazon have also adopted the service to offer drone delivery to their customers in select cities.

Doordash first partnered with Alphabet’s drone delivery system Wings in Australia in 2022. It now drops off deliveries from over 60 merchants, the report said.

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