Wendy’s Is Beefing Up Food Delivery By Flying Your Burger Over By Drone

Video screenshot via Wing

When pigtails fly: Wendy’s is experimenting with taking to the skies with drone delivery. Partnering with DoorDash and Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet specializing in autonomous drones, the fast-food chain is testing out this futuristic delivery method in Christiansburg, Virginia.

Residents with a hankering for a Baconator and fries can now place an order for eligible items through the DoorDash app and choose the “drone delivery” option during checkout. If their address falls within a 2.5-mile radius of the participating Wendy’s on N. Franklin Street and has a suitable landing area (think lawn, not rooftop), their meal will arrive via a high-flying Wing drone in a speedy “30 minutes or less,” free of charge. Otherwise, no dice fries, since the test zone is pretty restricted right now.

Wing drones are equipped to handle the demands of short-distance, fast-food deliveries, zipping along at 65 mph to carry your order efficiently. However, if you’re particularly hungry that day and have ordered a large feast, don’t worry—multiple drones can work together to bring it to you.

This isn’t the first rodeo for either DoorDash or Wing. The two companies previously joined forces for a similar drone delivery program in Australia, which has grown to include deliveries from over 60 merchants. Wing has also partnered with Walmart for drone deliveries across several states.

Image via DoorDash

The success of the Christiansburg pilot will be crucial in determining the future of Wendy’s drone delivery ambitions. If all goes well, we can expect flying Frosties to become a reality in more US cities later this year.

[via Fast Company, TechCrunch, New York Post, images via various sources]