Papa John’s Is Getting into the Drone Delivery Business—But Not for Pizza

Starting today, with interest Customers of the US pizza restaurant Papa Johns located 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, Wings. But Papa Johns signature pizzas are nowhere to be found. Instead, drone-loving North Carolinians will have to choose between three types of sandwiches, the fast food chain’s new product: Philly cheesesteak, chicken bacon, or steak and mushroom versions.

Drone delivery is happening in many areas in the US and around the world. Questions about the long-term economics and regulatory picture of unmanned aerial vehicles continue, but Wings boasts a partnership with Walmart, Paneraand DoorDash and is shipping to customers in four metro areas: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston. (In 2019, Mapiko received the first US Federal Aviation Administration certificate allowing a drone carrier to operate in the country.) Competing companies, including Zipline, Amazon Prime Airand Flytrex, flight tickets, drugs, and Chipotle burritos in selected areas in countries such as Ghana, Japan, and the US.

But until recently, drone operators have struggled to fly large pizzas. For companies hoping to break into the food delivery space, this is sad: 11 percent of the US population eats a snack every day, according to the US Department of Agriculture. In a fast food restaurantsto take them to customers it’s still big business. But the realities of physics, engineering, and the restaurant business prepare to make pizza delivery difficult for drones.

Flying Pizzas

Traditionally, pizza is the experimental technique of choice. A popular and inexpensive bread and cheese sauce recipe has been uploaded self-driving cars and autonomous road-based vehicles and has been made by robots. It’s a quick and satisfying option, especially for busy families who are on time. And hypothetically, well-suited to automated drones, one of the fastest delivery methods—people love fresh, piping hot pizza.

But carrying one with a drone requires extra work, says wing chief Adam Woodworth. “Pizza comes in a very different box, with a big crumbly surface,” he says. They are not aerodynamic in nature. Also, “you don’t want a lopsided pizza.”

Light Wing drones are designed to carry three unique sizes; right now, pizza boxes are not one of them. Woodworth says a new design is on the horizon. “I want to see pizzas coming to me from the sky,” he says.

Flytrex, an Israeli-based drone carrier, announced late last month that it has resolved the issue. In partnership with competitor Little Caesars, the company began shipping two large pizzas (16 inches each), plus sodas and bread, to Wylie, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The jump comes with the help of a very large drone, which can carry 8.8 pounds for four miles.

Courtesy of Flytrex