Flynn Group, Zipline to deliver Panera Bread orders via drone

Dive Brief:

Flynn Group has partnered with Zipline, an autonomous delivery system, to provide drone deliveries from select Panera Bread units in the Greater Seattle metro area, according to a press release emailed to Restaurant Dive.
Deliveries are expected to begin as early as next year, a Zipline spokesperson said in an email to Restaurant Dive. Customers will be able to order drone delivery through Zipline’s app and have their orders delivered to their homes.
Zipline said it is also partnering with Jet’s Pizza in Detroit and Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston to provide drone deliveries. Sweetgreen entered a partnership with Zipline last year, also.

Dive Insight:

Zipline, which has made 1 million paid customer deliveries since October 2016, said it is now able to scale quickly due to recent regulatory approvals of its on-board perception system allowing for commercial delivery operations beyond visual line of sight.

Zipline plans to roll out its latest drone technology, P2, in the coming quarters. These drones can fly up to 24 miles on one charge and make deliveries seven times faster than a traditional car delivery, a spokesperson said. Zipline’s P2 drones will also be able to complete 10-mile deliveries in about 10 minutes, according to the company.

The company has made 70% of its deliveries in the past two years and currently works with Walmart. Zipline said it expects to serve over 30 million people in 10 states in the U.S. over the next few years.

“We’re excited to take the guest experience we provide at our Panera Bread restaurants to new heights, literally, thanks to our partnership with Zipline,” Greg Flynn, founder, chairman and CEO of Flynn Group, said in a statement. “Delivery delays, especially in metro-areas like Seattle, are unpredictable; however, utilizing Zipline’s state-of-the-art drone technology, we’re addressing those challenges and significantly reducing the wait time from when orders are placed, to when guests can enjoy them.”

Other chains have been testing drone delivery where allowed in the U.S. DoorDash partnered with Wing to deliver food from a Virginia Wendy’s. Papa Johns, Freddy’s and Little Caesars partnered with Flytrex last year to deliver meals via drone in Granbury, Texas, and three cities in North Carolina.