How Drones Are Taking Restaurant Deliveries to New Heights

If AI and automation were the talk of the town in 2024, then 2025 is all about the fusion of AI and robotics.

We saw significant strides in drone technology in late 2024, and with recent developments, the race to claim the skies is officially on. But what does this mean for restaurants? Will drone deliveries become a reality before the year is out?

Meituan Sets the Pace in Shenzhen 

Drone deliveries have been an ongoing conversation as early as 2013, when Amazon made headlines with Amazon Prime Air. The brief was simple: any order five pounds or less could be delivered straight to your doorstep within 30 minutes.

This new technology seems to be a natural fit for the F&B industry—where serving meals as fresh as possible is key to great customer service. With drone deliveries, restaurants can skip traffic and get dishes from the kitchen to customers’ homes, stat.

Meituan, one of China’s leading e-commerce and food delivery platforms, saw this opportunity as early as 2017 and began developing their own drones to seamlessly integrate with their current operations. 

In 2023, they officially hit the skies—and the headlines—potentially redefining the future of food delivery.

In Meituan’s setup, customers place their orders via dedicated delivery kiosks across Shenzhen. Once an order is received, couriers handle the first mile delivery; picking up the food from the restaurant and transporting it to a launchpad. There, another team preps the orders and securely attaches them to a drone. From takeoff to landing, the drone’s entire route is fully automated to ensure a seamless and efficient delivery. 

While innovative, it’s not a true game-changer for convenience—yet. Customers still need to visit a pickup point instead of receiving door-to-door deliveries; a convenience already provided by delivery riders. Customers also have to visit dedicated kiosks to place their drone delivery orders instead of being able to do it online. At this stage, drone deliveries straddle the line between complete automation and traditional deliveries.

Keeta Drone Flies in Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong

After establishing itself as a pioneer in drone logistics, Meituan set their sights abroad. In the same year they started doing drone deliveries in China, they expanded and officially launched their food delivery service, Keeta. 

The first overseas expansion was in Hong Kong in 2023, operating within the Mong Kok and Tai Kok Tsui district. They partnered with Yoshinoya, KFC and McDonald’s among many others. By December of 2024, Keeta Drone tapped into the UAE market’s growing demand for delivery services and was officially unveiled by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai in Dubai Silicon Oasis.

Wing Takes Flight with Doordash Partnership in Australia

In July 2024, Wing Aviation, Google’s sister company, partnered with DoorDash to launch autonomous food deliveries via drones in Melbourne.

The key difference between Wing and Meituan? Wing doesn’t use delivery hubs. Instead, orders are delivered directly to the customer’s location, safely lowered to the ground via a tether.

Another major distinction is that unlike Meituan’s drones which rely on automated routes, Wing’s operations are monitored by a single human pilot. The Doordash x Wing partnership is set to expand further, with plans to enter the U.S. market by 2025, starting in Dallas.

Why Restaurants Should Consider Drone Deliveries

The promise of drone delivery is tantalizing. Diving deep, here are some of the benefits about food delivery via drone:

• Attract new customers. Drones are relatively new in the space of food deliveries, and they’ve become a quick novelty in the cities where they operate. For restaurants looking to amp up their brand awareness, this presents an opportunity to reach new customers.

• Speed is the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to food deliveries. In cities, especially those that suffer from heavy traffic, delivery times can be so extended that by the time the food arrives, it’s no longer as fresh as you’d hope—resulting in a poor customer experience. With drones, however, you can cut through lanes and traffic and speed right to your customer’s doorstep in a matter of minutes.

• Drones offer a greener alternative to traditional delivery vehicles, potentially reducing carbon emissions and contributing to a more sustainable delivery model. With fewer vehicles on the road, neighborhoods get a break from the noise pollution and the overall carbon footprint shrinks. It’s a win-win—restaurants can serve meals faster, all while playing their part in creating a cleaner, more efficient cityscape.

The Bottom Line

Drone delivery is still in its “beta phase”. While pioneers like Meituan and Wing are mapping the airspace, the tech is evolving faster than policies or consumer habits. For now, the sky’s the limit—but stakeholders should keep their eyes peeled. 

The next wave? Maybe quieter drones, AI-powered collision avoidance, or even airborne food trucks. One thing’s certain: this race is just getting off the ground.