Wonder and Zipline are joining forces to deliver takeaway meals, in their original packaging, via drone – bringing the technology to locations across Texas, USA.
From January 2027, select Wonder locations will allow consumers to order their meals on demand via drone delivery. Zipline’s electronic drones will receive orders autonomously and fly them directly – and ‘quietly’ – to a consumer’s doorstep.
Since no special packaging is required, the Zipline system is expected to integrate seamlessly into kitchen and outgoing workflows without requiring expensive infrastructural changes. Drone delivery is anticipated to reach areas that traditional delivery models underserve – reducing delivery times, improving efficiency, and providing fresher, higher-quality meals.
Wonder will also adopt the Zipline Dropbox pickup solution, which can be added to business layouts and locations with no construction. Designed for indoor and outdoor loading capabilities, the Dropbox requires employees to load orders into a drawer secured by a keypad; Zipline will handle the rest autonomously, with no waiting or interaction with the drones required.
“At Wonder, we’re constantly exploring new ways to make great food more accessible,” said Wonder North America CEO Tony Hoggett. “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.”
“Every restaurant has menu items they hesitate to put in a delivery bag,” added Chris Kenney, head of National Partnerships for Zipline. “Zipline changes that. By taking traffic out of the equation, Wonder can now offer customers their menu with confidence that every meal will arrive exactly as their chefs intended.
“Wonder is proving that drone delivery is a growth driver. Customers get a better experience, and restaurants get more demand.”
Texas is considered an ‘ideal environment’ to scale up Wonder’s delivery capabilities due to its geography and the growth of its metropolitan areas. Starting in Dallas, Wonder is currently developing the necessary infrastructure for the format’s long-term growth, including storefront construction, kitchen buildouts, advanced logistics, and ordering technology.
Most of Wonder’s Texas locations are expected to offer drone delivery by the end of 2027. This is anticipated to unlock faster and more flexible service for communities across the state.
Reportedly, Zipline has already completed over 2.5 million autonomous deliveries across the global healthcare, food, and retail sectors.
In a similar development, Amazon was previously granted permission by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority – as well as the Italian Civil Aviation Authority – to fly drones beyond a human operator’s line of sight and trial small e-commerce deliveries via its Prime Air service.
We previously spoke to Wing to learn more about the future of drone delivery technology, from its implications for safety and efficiency to its potential for cost and carbon reduction.
In other news, DoorDash has revealed its Package Pickup service for reusable delivery packaging. Consumers can request that up to five packages be collected by a DoorDash employee at a flat rate of $5 per delivery; the packages are then returned to the corresponding carrier.
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