DoorDash and Wing announced the launch of their drone delivery partnership in the U.S., starting in Christiansburg, VA. Select local consumers will be able to order eligible menu items from Wendy?s the pilot?s first restaurant partner through the DoorDash marketplace and have them delivered via drone. This follows the drone delivery pilot program that DoorDash and Wing launched in Australia in 2022 and has since expanded to three locations in Queensland with over 60 participating merchants, marking the first time that Wing integrated its drone delivery service within another marketplace.

Beginning on March 21, 2024, when DoorDash customers with an eligible address in Christiansburg, VA, place a qualifying order in the DoorDash app from the Wendy?s located at 2355 N. Franklin Street, they will see the option to have their meal delivered by drone on the checkout page. Once they select drone delivery and place their order, it will be prepared and packaged at the Wendy?s location and delivered via a Wing drone, typically in 30 minutes or less. Through this partnership, DoorDash aims to provide access to an innovative delivery solution for consumers and merchants, complementary to traditional Dasher-fulfilled orders.

The new offering provides a quick and sustainable delivery option for small, short-distanced orders while creating the potential for incremental order growth across the platform. The pilot will initially be available in Christiansburg with plans to explore other cities in the U.S. later this year. The drone delivery partnership with Wing was born out of DoorDash Labs, DoorDash?s robotics and automation arm.

DoorDash sees automation as a means to develop the right platform solution to satisfy consumer demand, while improving efficiencies within the platform.