DoorDash’s new drone could deliver Chipotle and Popeyes in under 5 minutes
Airmail for your appetite.
A DoorDash drone with a Chipotle delivery bag. Image by Cybernews.
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- DoorDash will pilot drone deliveries in Northern California with Chipotle, Popeyes, and Momo N Curry.
- The company expects average deliveries under five minutes after restaurants finish preparing orders.
- They say about 80% of typical US restaurant orders fit the drone’s size and weight limits.
- The drone lowers orders by winch and lets customers track flights in the DoorDash app.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Food delivery company DoorDash has announced a new drone-delivery system, which it says will deliver food to customers more efficiently.
The purpose-built drone aircraft will begin drone deliveries in Northern California, with Chipotle, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and local restaurant Momo N Curry among the first restaurants to get on board with the service.
The company expects an average door-to-door delivery time of under 5 minutes, once the food is ready. DoorDash was also keen to stress that the sub-5-minute target should not be a customer expectation however.
DoorDash says around 80% of typical US restaurant orders are small and light enough for its aircraft, so big bulk takeouts won't make the cut.
Momo N Curry owner Mohan Khatiwada said the technology could be particularly useful for a small front-of-house team, especially given the fact a lack of staff available to handle delivery orders.
DoorDash Air head Harrison Shih said the company wants “any local business” to be able to reach consumers by air.
This is DoorDash Air.
undefined Stanley Tang (@stanleytang) September 30, 2026
As a pilot, I can tell you that you wouldn’t build a plane and then ask if it can carry cargo. So we built @DoorDash Air from the ground up, designed around what 13 years of deliveries have taught us: what people order, how much it weighs, and how far it… pic.twitter.com/703MFqDvXP
Lofty machinations
The aircraft uses six slow-spinning propellers with DoorDash claiming the noise at delivery level is akin to that of a passing car.
Instead of delivering to the customer “face-on,” the winch system of the drone is lowered down to the designated delivery spot.
Its Autonomous Delivery Platform, or ADP, decides which delivery method makes the most sense for each order by considering factors including weight, distance, weather, flight range, ground traffic and kitchen preparation time.
Will drone delivery become the new normal?
The appeal of receiving a burrito in under five minutes is obvious, and for the restaurant itself, not much changes – they can hand over the order the same as they always have.
As the food delivery business has scaled so quickly since the pandemic, there can be room for disruption in the form of congestion, delivery driver mistakes, and the like.
But if the system rolls out with minimal disruption, then DoorDash may lead the race for automated delivery.
One of the uncertain elements is how the service would adapt to large cities, but for now, drone deliveries remain the talk of the town.
