We live in the golden age of food delivery. Thanks to the internet, apps, and delivery services, you have more options than you could possibly ever need when it comes to ordering your fifth pizza this week because you’re too lazy to cook. In turn, that means every delivery service is constantly looking to up their game in order to make them the most appealing choice for that next burrito or Pho bowl. In an attempt to grab some headlines (and order) from Grubhub and DoorDash, UberEats is testing out a trial program in San Diego that would deliver your meal via drone.
You’ve heard of “30 minutes or less” guarantees, but UberEats says in a statement that you might be able to get your order as quickly as five minutes using this kind of service.
The delivery service is part of a larger “wide-reaching commercial test program” that a team of tech giants are performing on behalf of the U.S. government. Uber, Alphabet, Intel, FedEx, and Qualcomm are all involved in this experiment to “push the edge of the envelope in drone flights.”
For UberEats, their part in this experiment is about taking the next, logical step in food delivery. It also allows CEO Dara Khosrowshahi use the phrase “flying burgers” officially.
“Uber can’t just be about cars,” he explains. “It has to be about mobility,” before adding, with almost no context: “It’s my personal belief that a key to solving urban mobility is flying burgers, in any city. We need flying burgers.”
What does it mean for consumers? Not much for now, at least unless you live in San Diego. But chances are that drones will be soaring overheard with regularity and many of them will be carrying Diet Cokes and pepperoni pizzas as they go. Better to work out all the kinks so you’re not in a coma after someone’s Chipotle burrito fell 50 feet onto your head.
