As of today, I am eager customers of the US pizza restaurant Papa Johns living in one corner of southern North Carolina will have the opportunity to receive their food from the sky, thanks to a new partnership with Alphabet’s drone company, Wing. But Papa Johns signature pizzas will be unavailable. Instead, drone-loving North Carolinians will have to choose between three types of sandwiches, a new product of the fast food chain: Philly cheesesteak, chicken bacon ranch, or steak and mushroom varieties.
Drone deliveries are popping up in many communities across the US and the world. Questions about the long-term economics and regulatory picture surrounding unmanned aerial vehicles remain, but Wing boasts partnerships with Walmart, Panera, and DoorDash and brings the skies to customers in four metro areas: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston. (In 2019, Wing received the first US Federal Aviation Administration certification allowing a drone delivery company to operate in the country.) Competing drone companies, including Zipline, Amazon Prime Air, and Flytrex, fly packages, medical supplies, and Chipotle burritos to select communities across countries such as Ghana, Japan, and the US.
But until recently, drone operators have struggled to fly full-sized pizzas. For companies hoping to enter the food delivery space, this is unfortunate: 11 percent of the US population eats a slice on any given day, according to the US Department of Agriculture. In the fast-changing restaurant industry, getting them to customers is still big business. But the realities of physics, engineering, and the restaurant business combine to make pizzas a challenge for drones.
Flying Pizzas
Traditionally, pizza is the technology delivery test of choice. A combination of generic and cheap cheese bread is loaded onto self-driving and autonomous curbside delivery vehicles and assembled by robots. It’s a quick and satisfying option, especially for busy families who are pressed for time. And in theory, the perfect fit for automated drones, among the fast delivery options—people love fresh, hot pizza.
But transporting one with a drone requires more work, says Wing CEO Adam Woodworth. “Pizza comes in a very different box,” he says, “with a large flat surface. They’re not aerodynamic in nature. And, you don’t want a lopsided pizza.”
Wing’s relatively lightweight drones are designed to carry three specific package sizes; right now, pizza boxes are not for them. Woodworth says a new design is imminent. “I want to see pizzas coming to me from the sky,” he said.
Flytrex, an Israel-based drone delivery company, announced late last month that it had resolved the issue. In partnership with rival pizza chain Little Caesars, the company began delivering by drone two large pizzas (16 inches each), along with sodas and bread, in Wylie, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The jump comes courtesy of a new ultra-large drone, capable of carrying up to 8.8 kilograms per four miles.
Courtesy of Flytrex
