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Tech Tracker: Drone-dropped meals are headed to TexasTech Tracker: Drone-dropped meals are headed to Texas

Will this be the future of restaurant delivery technology?

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

May 16, 2022

Drone-delivered meals in under 5 minutes? In North Carolina and Texas, that’s now possible.

Expanding a partnership that began in October 2021 in North Carolina, Brinker and drone delivery company Flytrex said in March that ultra-fast delivery, in under five minutes, would be expanded to Granbury, Texas.

“The service will operate in cooperation with longtime partner Causey Aviation Unmanned under a newly granted Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver allowing a delivery radius of one nautical mile — reaching thousands of potential homes,” the companies said. “Eligible households that have opted into the service can order food via the Flytrex app.”

A nautical mile is about 1.2 miles or about 6,080 feet.

On Thursday, Jersey Mike’s began testing drone delivery with Flytrex in both states.

Listen to Joanna Fantozzi, NRN’s senior tech editor, talk about why these drones are essential for casual-dining brands to ensure food freshness and more.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

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