Burritos Dropping from the Sky: Chipotle’s Drone Delivery Is Real

Key Points:

• Chipotle has launched “Zipotle,” a drone delivery service in Rowlett, Texas, letting customers order through the Zipline app and receive burritos from the sky in just minutes.
• The program aims to solve delivery challenges in hard-to-reach locations, and may also attract more customers. 
• If successful, it could pave the way for drone-delivered burritos in more U.S. cities, marking a bold new step in food delivery.

If you look up at the sky in Texas and spot what looks like a flying burrito, you're not dreaming. Chipotle Mexican Grill announced its partnership with Zipline, a drone-powered delivery system, to deliver food right to your doorstep (or backyard!). 

The service, cleverly named "Zipotle," launches from one restaurant in Rowlett, Texas. Customers can order their Chipotle favorites and watch them arrive by air in just a few minutes. This marks Chipotle's first venture into drone delivery as restaurants across the country experiment with new ways to get food to hungry customers faster.

How to Get a Flying Burrito

You can get your burrito delivered to you by following these five simple steps:

1. Download the Zipline app from your phone's app store and check if you're in the delivery zone.
2. Browse the full Chipotle menu and place your order through the Zipline app (not Chipotle's regular app).
3. Restaurant staff prepare your meal and place it in a special pickup area called a "Zipping Point."
4. An autonomous drone called a "Zip" grabs your order and flies directly to your address.
5. The aircraft hovers about 300 feet overhead while carefully lowering your food to the ground.

The whole process takes just minutes from order to delivery. Orders can weigh up to 5.5 pounds initially, which covers most Chipotle combinations, including those loaded bowls with extra everything.

Currently, only residents in the Rowlett area can try Zipotle. The service runs daily from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., with plans to stay open until 10 p.m. in the future. Delivery costs $2.99 plus service fees capped at $6 total. That's competitive with most food delivery apps, especially considering there is no tipping involved. 

Chipotle’s Initiative

For Chipotle, this drone delivery is a means to reach its customer base in challenging locations where delivery drivers struggle, such as apartment complexes or homes in remote areas.

"Zipotle is a quick and convenient source of delivery that lets guests enjoy our real food from places that are traditionally challenging to serve, including backyards and public parks," said Curt Garner, President, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer at Chipotle. "Zipline's commitment to building an efficient, environmentally friendly delivery experience is synonymous with our mission to cultivate a Better World."

"With Zipline, you tap a button, and minutes later food magically appears - hot, fresh, and ultra-fast," said Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, CEO and Co-Founder of Zipline. "Starting today, families in the Dallas area can have food delivered by Zipotle and served for lunch or dinner. What once felt like science fiction is soon going to become totally normal."

The company is particularly focused on younger customers who order delivery more often and tend to embrace new technology. “I think the younger consumer remains an enormous market opportunity for us. They’re the biggest fans of Chipotle already,” Garner further said. 

This partnership will benefit Chipotle, which reported a 4% decline in same-store sales last quarter as fewer customers visited restaurants. Drone delivery could help the company reach new customers and stand out in the crowded food delivery market. 

Zipline brings its successful experience to the partnership. The company has logged over 100 million miles of autonomous flight time and completed more than 1.6 million deliveries worldwide. Most of Zipline's work involves delivering medical supplies to hospitals in remote areas across four continents. They handle one delivery somewhere in the world every 60 seconds.

What Happens Next

Chipotle will study the results in Rowlett before deciding whether to expand drone delivery to other locations. The company hasn't set a timeline for rolling out the service more widely.

For now, Rowlett residents are the first ones to enjoy the Chipotle delivery. They are going to see burritos quite literally drop from the sky. Whether this becomes the future of food delivery really depends on how much people enjoy having their dinner delivered straight to their doorstep.