DoorDash is getting serious about drone delivery.
The company on Wednesday unveiled DoorDash Air, an in-house program that will develop a drone delivery system.
The company also announced that it has been granted Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, allowing it to operate a drone delivery service. It is one of just eight drone operators with the certificate.
DoorDash said that its drones will be designed for “mid-range” deliveries of 3 to 5 miles that tend to be less appealing to human couriers. More than 20% of DoorDash orders fall into this category, but they take 25% longer on average because it can be hard to find a driver to accept them, the company said. In pilots last year, drone deliveries took an average of 25 minutes, DoorDash said.
DoorDash has been working with other drone delivery companies for four years and will continue to do so, noting that its mid-range design will complement the short- and long-range drones it partners with.
DoorDash is building more than just a drone; the delivery company will also develop the infrastructure needed for its drones to pick up food and other items from drive-thrus, rooftops, and back doors, as well as the software powering the system.
Drones will join the company’s existing fleet of human couriers, which it calls Dashers, and Dot delivery robots, as well as its various drone and autonomous vehicle partners, all coordinated by its Autonomous Delivery Platform. The company says the mix of options allows it to choose the most effective delivery method for each order. And because it is all controlled by a single platform, restaurants of all sizes are able to access the different modes.
“We want drone delivery to work for any merchant, anywhere,” said Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air, in a statement. “We're building the full stack to make that possible from the ground infrastructure to the drone itself, and the handoff systems that make it work together seamlessly.”
The company noted that Dashers “remain essential to the network” and handle the vast majority of its deliveries. That includes ones that robots and drones can’t handle, like large orders and deliveries to apartment buildings.
Drone delivery has been gaining traction in restaurants due to its potential to deliver orders faster and more efficiently. Chains including Chipotle, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and Little Caesars are taking a look at the idea.
DoorDash rivals Uber Eats and Grubhub, meanwhile, are also exploring drone delivery, as are retail giants Amazon and Walmart, and drone delivery provider Matternet is in the process of going public.
But the technology faces some hurdles, including FAA regulations around how far delivery drones can travel. The agency is considering new guidelines that could make drone delivery more widely available.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.