BROPHY BROS. VENTURA
From the moment the first food delivery app went live, the food service industry was
thrown into a sudden state of evolution. Restaurant managers suddenly had to react and
adapt to an increase in orders from patrons who wanted or needed their meals delivered
to their homes or place of employment or miss-out on a sales source that was growing at
a rapid rate.
Today, it’s not uncommon for a person to have multiple apps on their mobile device, as
different restaurant chains have opted for exclusivity partnerships with specific food
delivery apps. Other restaurants choose to be accessible on multiple platforms – but one
thing is common across the board for this new way of getting food to customers: the
food is always delivered by a person in an automobile.
That, however, may not be the case for much longer.
Drone delivery–seen as a potentially cheaper alternative to traditional delivery because
it removes a labor piece–could very well enter the fray sooner than later, as the FAA has
finally issued rules for commercial drones.
At the same time, with companies like UberEats, DoorDash and Amazon always trying
to find ways to change their business model to provide better service for their customers
and higher profits for themselves, these advances are already being discussed, planned,
and tested.
For example, in October of 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that Uber
Technologies Inc. - owner of the ride-sharing service app Uber along with the food
delivery service UberEats - had plans for a drone food delivery by 2021. The company
briefly listed a job opening for an operations manager for a drone delivery service called
UberExpress. The post stated that the company wanted to have functional drones by
2019 and start operating in select cities by 2021.
The job posting has since been taken down, but Uber reports that this new aspect of
their delivery service is still in early development. While this suggests that there are
more obstacles to getting a drone food delivery fleet off the ground than the company
planned for, Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is still talking about his company’s desire
to use UAVs for a better customer experience and to help solve issues with urban
mobility.
So, although a new draft of the FAA rules is still months away from being approved and
implemented, the loosening of legal restrictions on drones remains great news for folks
looking forward to a time when they can actually have their pizza flown in before a big
game.
BROPHY BROS. VENTURA
Photo Credit Kcruts Photography
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BROPHY BROS. VENTURA