DoorDash is testing a drone delivery feature in Virginia

DoorDash just announced the launch of a drone delivery pilot program, in partnership with Alphabet’s Wing. The testing began in Christiansburg, VA (approximate population 22,000), and is limited to only "eligible items" from fast food chain Wendy's. Whether that includes the iconic Frosty dessert/fry condiment is as yet unclear.

There’s only one affiliated Wendy’s location, but local consumers should see a “deliver by drone” tab on the DoorDash checkout page. The company says orders should arrive in 30 minutes or less, making high-flying drones about as fast as a standard pizza delivery in the 1980s.

DoorDash also says that Wendy’s is just the first restaurant partner, suggesting that more are on the way. The company believes that drones will offer more “efficient, sustainable, and convenient delivery options for consumers.” To that end, the online food delivery platform plans on opening up the program to more US cities throughout the year.

If all of this sounds eerily familiar, you aren’t imagining things. These types of pilot programs have been popping up all over the place. This isn’t even DoorDash and Wing’s first partnership. The companies teamed up in 2022 to do something similar in Australia. The program was a success, eventually expanding to 60 participating restaurants in Queensland.

Wing is the clear leader in this field. The company recently began offering drone deliveries from Walmart to Dallas consumers. Earlier this year, Wing unveiled a new delivery drone that reaches speeds of 65 MPH, with a maximum payload capacity of five pounds. That’s, according to my math, nearly six Wendy’s Baconators.

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