Food delivery could soon take to the skies, with meals arriving at customers’ doorsteps by drone.
DoorDash announced its latest initiative Wednesday: DoorDash Air, an “end-to-end drone delivery system with infrastructure and delivery orchestration designed to scale for all local businesses.”
The announcement came exactly one year after the food delivery company introduced Dot, its ground-based delivery robot.
Drone delivery trials are expected to begin in Northern California in the coming months, with national restaurant chains including Chipotle and Popeyes participating.
DoorDash says the program is designed to address one of the biggest challenges in autonomous delivery: the first and last 10 feet. Collecting an order from a restaurant kitchen and placing it securely at a customer’s door are among the most difficult stages of the delivery process, according to the company.
During early trial runs, DoorDash says the average time from restaurant to residence has been less than five minutes.
The company estimates that 80% of typical DoorDash restaurant orders are light and compact enough to be transported safely by its aircraft.
“We didn’t start with a drone and ask what would fit. We started with what people order and how local businesses actually operate, then built the entire system from there,” Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air, wrote in the company’s announcement.
DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang has also been promoting the new delivery technology on X. “As a pilot, I can tell you that you wouldn’t build a plane and then ask if it can carry cargo,” Tang wrote, highlighting the company’s decision to design the system around real-world delivery needs.
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The aircraft use six slow-spinning propellers. DoorDash claims their noise at delivery height is limited to roughly the level of a passing car.
The launch comes just over a month after Amazon began testing Amazon Prime Air in Texas. Residents in the trial areas have complained about the noise, comparing the drones to a “giant hive of bees.”
According to the companies, DoorDash’s drones weigh less than 55 pounds, while Amazon’s aircraft weigh about 78 pounds.
DoorDash says more local businesses are offering delivery through its app, while customer support for those services is also growing.
“As that demand for local commerce continues to grow, offering even more modes of delivery will help local businesses of all sizes connect with consumers,” the company wrote.
DoorDash also shared comments from several businesses already using its delivery platform.
“Our fans want their food hot and fast, and we believe DoorDash Air will deliver on that without asking our restaurant teams to change a thing,” wrote James Huang, chief digital officer for Popeyes. “The same crews making our chicken today just hand it off the way they always have and the drone does the rest.”
Alongside the new delivery option, DoorDash has updated its app so customers can see when their orders take flight.
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