DoorDash and Wing deliver Wendy’s via drone

DoorDash and Wing initiate testing phase for Wendy’s drone delivery service.

On March 21, DoorDash announced a collaborative effort with Wing to launch a pilot program exploring drone-based food delivery in the United States.

Wing is a drone delivery company, owned by Google parent company Alphabet, that offers automated delivery drones to transport smaller packages from businesses to home

Christiansburg, Virginia, becomes the first US city to participate in this initiative.

From skies to fries

Through this partnership, select consumers will have the opportunity to order menu items from Wendy’s (NASDAQ: WEN) via the DoorDash marketplace and receive drone deliveries. 

The pilot program in Christiansburg is expected to explore the possibility and efficiency of drone delivery for small orders.

Residents residing near the Wendy’s located at 2355 N. Franklin Street can now leverage the DoorDash app to place orders with the option for drone delivery, supported by Wing. 

The service aims to streamline delivery processes, providing customers with a convenient and efficient option to receive their orders within a swift 30-minute timeframe.

Drone delivery integration and expansion

According to Harrison Shih, Senior Director of DoorDash Labs, the integration of drone delivery into DoorDash’s ecosystem aligns with their commitment to advancing delivery technologies. 

Cosimo Leipold, Head of Partnerships at Wing, highlighted the success of their prior collaboration.

Since 2022, DoorDash and Wing have been working together in Australia, with “over 60 participating merchants” spread across three locations in Queensland.

Companies like Walgreens, Walmart, and Amazon are using drones to deliver packages in certain cities, marking the latest trend in drone delivery. C

hick-fil-A and several other brands, including Freddy’s, Jersey Mike’s, and Papa Johns have piloted drone delivery with Flytrex.

However, Wendy’s has not confirmed plans to expand this feature to other stores yet. Additionally, Wendy’s digital sales mix has grown to nearly 30%, including delivery, however its just backed off ‘surge pricing’