Flying Frosty? Wing takes DoorDash partnership to U.S. with Wendy’s drone deliveries

Calling all Frosties fans and drone delivery dreamers: Wing, the drone delivery outfit under Alphabet (Google’s parent company), has officially brought its DoorDash partnership to the U.S. And it comes another iconic partnership — this one with fast food chain Wendy’s. Alas, you can finally get that juicy Baconator delivered by a drone.

This news follows Wing’s year-long drone delivery partnership with DoorDash in Australia. That partnership was announced back in March 2023, where drone delivery giant would work with Wing in Logan, Australia to bring good orders to customers. That marked the first time Wing allowed its food to be ordered through a third-party app — in this case, DoorDash’s app.

Now, residents of Christiansburg, Virginia, will be the first in the U.S. to experience drone-delivered Wendy’s.

Why Christiansburg?

While this is the first time DoorDash will offer drone delivery in Christiansburg, residents of Christiansburg should be used to drone deliveries at this point. Wing launched its first U.S. commercial operations in Christiansburg back in 2019.

“The community has been an integral part of drone delivery’s progress ever since, making it a fitting place to kick off the U.S. expansion of our DoorDash partnership,” according to a statement from Wing.

Among those residents? 84-year-old Susie Sensmeier. It’s believed that she holds the orders for most drone delivery orders placed ever. Within four years, she had made 1,200 drone deliveries, including 210 blueberry muffins from a local bakery and 93 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies from a local chapter.

Now, folks like Sensmeier will have the chance to order Wendy’s, too. Starting with service from one Wendy’s restaurant, Christiansburg customers will see an option in the DoorDash app to have their Wendy’s favorites delivered by drone.

What to know when ordering Wendy’s from DoorDash via drone

While details are still under wraps, here’s what we know:

• You’ll need the DoorDash app: Just like in Australia, you’ll be able to order Wendy’s fare through the DoorDash app. Select “drone delivery” at checkout for eligible items, and voila! Your lunch takes flight.
• It’ll start with one restaurant: For now, only one Wendy’s location in the city will offer drone delivery. There are a few outposts, so more might be added.
• Service is speedy: Wing promises delivery in 30 minutes or less, which is basically the time it takes to debate between fries and onion rings. Wing even claims its fastest-ever delivery took just under three minutes.
• Drones come to your home: After flying from Wendy’s at speeds as high as 65 mph, drones will fly over properties of eligible homes. from there, they’ll hover and gently lower orders right outside doorsteps using a tether.

Here’s a screen grab of what your app will look like when ordering to an eligible address from Wendy’s on DoorDash.

And if you’d rather have your DoorDash delivered the standard way (that’s by human) you can still select that option.

Want to learn more? Wing put out a promotional video showing the Wendy’s drone deliveries in action here:

Never tried DoorDash before? Use this link to get $5 off your first DoorDash order. That’s whether you order Wendy’s in Christiansburg via drone, or just go for any other standard DoorDash order anywhere else in the U.S.