Wonder partners with Zipline for drone delivery in Texas
Airborne delivery will be available at most of Wonder's Texas locations by the end of 2027, the company said.
Wonder has lined up a drone delivery partner for its expansion to Texas.
The food hall/delivery concept has tapped Zipline for airborne deliveries in the Lone Star State, where Wonder plans to open more than 100 stores starting in January.
It expects the majority of those stores to offer drone delivery by the end of 2027, Wonder said in a press release. It is designing its storefronts, kitchens, and technology to accommodate drones.
Zipline’s electric drones fly up to 300 feet in the air at speeds of up to 70 mph and have completed more than 2.5 million autonomous deliveries worldwide. Zipline has its own app for consumers offering more than 100,000 items available for drone delivery.
At Wonder, customers will be able to order drone delivery via the Wonder app, and eventually the Zipline app as well. Employees will prepare the orders and load them into a Zipline Dropbox from inside the restaurant. A drone will take it from there, with no interaction required from staff.
New York-based Wonder said drone delivery fits well with its mission to make its food more accessible. By bypassing road traffic, drones can get meals to customers faster, and can reach locations without a physical address. Wonder, which also owns Grubhub, is also testing drone delivery in New Jersey with a company called Dexa.
“Partnering with Zipline allows us to push the boundaries of what's possible, combining our innovative food technology platform with world-class drone technology to reach customers in Texas through faster, more convenient delivery and serve them in entirely new ways,” said Tony Hoggett, CEO of Wonder North America, in a statement.
Drone delivery has been picking up traction recently as restaurants look to evolve their delivery business beyond the road. The technology is still limited by Federal Aviation Administration rules governing flight distance, but proposed looser guidelines could pave the way for more deliveries.
Wonder is a delivery-focused chain with more than 100 locations, each of which offers food from dozens of restaurant concepts. In addition to Grubhub, it owns Blue Apron meal kits, the Tastemade food media company, and Spyce robotics. It has been expanding rapdily on the East Coast backed by more than $2 billion in private funding.
