Papa Johns is the latest chain to test drone delivery

Papa Johns is the latest in a growing list of restaurant brands experimenting with drone delivery. The company announced a partnership with drone delivery company Wing, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, for a delivery test in Charlotte, N.C.

The test marks Wing’s first direct partnership with a national restaurant brand and extends Papa Johns’ existing partnership with Alphabet. The pizza chain announced an expanded, multiyear partnership with Google Cloud last year with the goal of upgrading its customers’ experience through AI integration. Through the partnership, Papa Johns launched an internal innovation team, PJX, to leverage Google Cloud’s AI, data analytics and machine learning capabilities.

The company also used a Google Cloud chatbot to help increase order frequency. The collaboration with Wing includes a joint research and development initiative to “transform the future of the industry,” the companies said.

The drone pilot will start in the Wing app and will eventually integrate directly with Papa Johns’ first-party app and Lou AI, the company’s new digital pizza assistant, also created in partnership with Google Cloud.

"We are fundamentally shifting how our customers interact with our brand on digital platforms,” Chief Digital and Technology Officer Kevin Vasconi said in a statement. “With our agentic in-app ordering capabilities and Wing’s ultra-fast delivery, we are redefining the entire ordering experience, ending with fresh, hot Papa Johns delivered by drone right to our customers’ homes.”

The technology is now available in Sun Valley Commons in Indian Trail, N.C. Eligible customers can order a curated selection of Papa Johns’ new Oven Toasted Sandwiches, including Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Steak & Mushroom, exclusively through the Wing app, wing.com/get-delivery.

"This partnership is a true collaboration, bringing together Wing’s pioneering technology and Papa Johns’ commitment to innovation," Wing Chief Business Officer Heather Rivera said in a statement. “Together, we are defining a new blueprint for how agentic commerce and industry-leading operational design will shape the future of food delivery.”

This test comes just a few weeks after Little Caesars announced its own drone delivery test in partnership with Flytrex. Flytrex also has relationships with Charleys Philly Steaks, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Raising Cane’s, El Pollo Loco and others. Flytrex and Little Caesars first teamed up in 2023 to test drone delivery in Texas and North Carolina.

Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright also just reported that its Zipline pilot for drone delivery is showing “encouraging early results,” with plans to expand the test to several more restaurants in the second quarter.

Additional restaurant brands experimenting with drone delivery include GoTo Foods, Panera Bread, Freddy’s, Wendy’s, Papa Johns, Sweetgreen, Chick-fil-A and more.