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Historic 1st FAA-approved food delivery? Of course, it's a Slurpee and a doughnut

Just how long do we have before these autonomous flying delivery trucks fill our skies like a perpetual "day of the locusts"?

July 25, 2016 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

It happened quietly, on a Monday, a couple of weeks ago. That's when the world's first FAA-approved drone food delivery took place in the desert, appropriately, like all things UFO-related. And the edible cargo was what some would probably refer to as "junk food" from the world's largest convenience retailer, 7-Eleven. Now the question is, just how long do we have before these autonomous flying delivery trucks fill our skies like a perpetual "day of the locusts"?

Drone delivery details
A 7-Eleven unit in Reno, Nevada, made the 1-mile delivery to a customer on July 11, with help from independent drone delivery service, Flirtey, in conjunction with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems. The effort was part of advanced research toward integrating drones into the National Airspace System — a key element in their widespread usage, particularly for everyday things like food delivery, according to a company press release.

"This delivery required special flight planning, risk analysis and detailed flight procedures ensuring residential safety and privacy were equally integrated," NIAS Director of Operations Chris Walach said in the release.

In all, there were actually two deliveries successfully made from 7-Eleven that day, both included hot and cold food items loaded into the drone's delivery container and flown via GPS to a customer's house. It took mere minutes to load the cargo, fly to the destination and then gently lower the cargo in the family's backyard. 

And what exactly was this historic delivery comprised of? Well, of course, some Slurpees, as well as hot coffee, doughnuts, a chicken sandwich and candy. No word on spillage or food temperature maintenance during the non-piloted pilot flights. But the customer, identified only as "Michael," couldn't have been happier with the whole endeavor. 

"My wife and I both work and have three small children ages 7, 6 and 1. The convenience of having access to instant, 24/7 drone delivery is priceless," he is quoted as saying in a news release about the first flights. "It's amazing that a flying robot just delivered us food and drinks in a matter of minutes."

Next steps… er, flight paths
While there have been lots of drones in use for more pressing issues like those of medical providers, law enforcement and others, this is the first time the FAA has gotten behind the use of the technology for the more mundane, less critical needs of our everyday lives. 

In fact, with the initial flights completed successfully, 7-Eleven is now pressing forward with what is now Flirtey's largest commercial relationship to date. The vision, according to the two companies is to soon "reinvent" the food delivery process.  

"We're absolutely thrilled to have 7-Eleven, the largest convenience chain in the world, embracing new technologies and working with us at Flirtey to make drone delivery a reality for customers all over the world," Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeny said in the press release. "This is just the first step in our collaboration with 7-Eleven. 

"Flirtey's historic drone deliveries to date have been stepping stones to store-to-home drone delivery, and today is a giant leap toward a not-too-distant future where we are delivering you convenience on demand."

Added 7-Eleven Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Jesus H. Delgado-Jenkins, "This delivery marks the first time a retailer has worked with a drone delivery company to transport immediate consumables from store to home. In the future, we plan to make the entire assortment in our stores available for delivery to customers in minutes."

Flirty creates technology and logistics systems for a mass-market drone delivery network with four previous firsts in drone delivery flights over the course of the last year. In fact, the Smithsonian Institution has accepted a Flirtey drone for display at its Air and Space Museum — right there next to the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Wright Flyer. 

Note from the Editor: I would love to hear from restaurateurs about how you see this technology best used in food service and what your plans are to further that goal in the future. Please email me at shelly@networldmediagroup.com and let me know both, what your concerns are and what your dreams are for drone usage with your chain. 

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.