Drone delivery service near Charlotte nabs Papa John’s deal — but no pizza yet
Wing drone service is carving out another piece of the delivery pie in the Charlotte area with its latest expansion.
Wing and Papa Johns are partnering for quick-service restaurant delivery with a pilot program in Indian Trail. Oven toasted sandwiches can now be delivered by drone — but not pizza yet. The program started Thursday, May 14.
This combination marks Wing’s first direct partnership with a national restaurant brand. The companies say merging Papa Johns’ operation with Wing’s technology is a new strategy for solving last-mile delivery hurdles.
“We are fundamentally shifting how our customers interact with our brand on digital platforms,” Kevin Vasconi, chief digital and technology officer at Papa Johns, said in a statement.
The partnership includes collaborating on ways to pack and load orders using aerodynamic designs for future pizza deliveries. Wing Chief Business Officer Heather Rivera calls it a “new blueprint” for the future of food delivery.
How to order Papa John’s drone delivery in NC
Residents near Sun Valley Commons in Indian Trail are the first to be eligible for the service. A selection of sandwiches, such as Philly cheesesteak, chicken bacon ranch, and steak and mushroom, is available for drone-speed delivery.
The cost was not disclosed. Charlotte residents can check their eligibility and sign up for updates at wing.com/get-delivery.
The program is initially operating as a standalone on the Wing app. Eventually, the delivery option will be available on Papa Johns’ app and “Lou AI,” a digital pizza assistant powered by Google Cloud.
Residential drone delivery options around Charlotte
Last May, the first residential drone delivery landed in Charlotte with Wing and DoorDash teaming up at The Arboretum shopping center off Providence Road.
Wing’s lightweight, autonomous drones began making deliveries within a six-mile radius of the 18-pad “nest” where the drones are stored, charged and take off from the parking lot. Some of the 17 participating stores and restaurants include ROZ Grill, Manhattan Bagels, Nautical Bowls, Vicious Biscuit and Walmart, according to the Arboretum website.
In January Wing expanded with a second “nest” (or hub) in Huntersville at the Northcross Shopping Center. It offers DoorDash delivery to homes in about 20 minutes.
Walmart also is partnering with Wing for drone delivery in the Charlotte area as part of a nationwide expansion.
Walmart Neighborhood Market in Kings Mountain started drone delivery within 30 minutes on select items in December. The discount giant retailer also has plans at its University City store at 7735 N. Tryon St. in Charlotte.
Based in Palo Alto, California, Wing is a drone delivery operator that is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc.
