Papa John’s is getting into the drone delivery business, but not for pizza

Starting today, keen Customers of US pizza chain Papa Johns living in a corner of southern North Carolina will have the opportunity to receive their food from the sky, thanks to a new collaboration with Alphabet’s drone company, Wing. But Papa John’s signature pizza will not be on offer. Instead, drone-loving North Carolinians will have to choose between three types of sandwiches, or the fast food chain’s newer product: a Philly cheesesteak, chicken bacon ranch, or steak and mushroom varieties.

Drone deliveries are popping up in more communities across the United States and the world. There are still questions about the long-term economic and regulatory picture around unmanned aerial vehicles, but Wing boasts partnerships with Walmart, Panera, and DoorDash and delivers via the sky to customers in four metro areas: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston. (In 2019, Wing received the first U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification allowing a drone delivery company to operate in the country.) Competing drone companies, including Zipline, Amazon Prime Air, and Flytrex, are delivering flight packages, medical supplies, and Chipotle burritos in select communities across countries like Ghana, Japan, and the United States.

But until very recently, drone operators struggled to fly full-sized pizzas. For companies hoping to break into the food delivery space, that’s unfortunate: 11 percent of the U.S. population eats a slice on any given day, according to the USDA. In the fast-casual restaurant industry, getting it to customers is still big business. But the realities of physics, engineering and the restaurant industry conspire to make pizza a challenge for drones.

Flying pizza

Traditionally, pizza is the experimental technology delivery of choice. The familiar, cheap mixture of cheese sauce and bread has been loaded onto self-driving cars and autonomous delivery vehicles on the sidewalk and assembled by robots. It’s a quick and satisfying option, especially for busy, time-strapped families. In theory, it’s well-suited for drones, and is among one of the fastest delivery options – people love fresh, hot pizza.

But flying one with a drone requires some extra work, says Adam Woodworth, Wing’s CEO. “Pizza comes in a completely different box, with a large, flat surface,” he says. It’s not naturally aerodynamic. Also, “You don’t want the pizza to tilt.”

The relatively lightweight Wing aircraft are designed to carry three specific package sizes; Right now, pizza boxes aren’t one of them. Woodworth says a new design is on the horizon. “I want to see pizza come to me from heaven,” he says.

Flytrex, an Israel-based drone delivery company, announced late last month that it had finally solved the problem. In collaboration with rival pizza chain Little Caesars, the company has begun delivering up to two large pizzas (16 inches each) via drone, along with soft drinks and bread, in Wylie, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The jump comes thanks to a new, much larger drone, capable of carrying up to 8.8 pounds for a distance of four miles.

Courtesy of Flitrix