Chipotle is expanding its drone delivery service to new cities in Texas, including Fort Worth and Houston, as part of a broader push to leverage technology for faster and more efficient operations. The fast-casual chain announced the expansion during a recent earnings call, building on a successful pilot programme in Rowlett, Texas, which launched last summer.
Residents in North Fort Worth within a three-mile radius of the 7400 block of North Beach Street can now receive their Chipotle orders via drone. The service uses Zipline's Platform 2 drones, which are designed to operate in various weather conditions, including rain, heat, and cold. Currently, the drones can carry orders up to 5.5 pounds, with plans to increase capacity to 8 pounds as the technology scales.
Customers place their orders through the Zipline app, and restaurant employees load the food onto a drone at a designated 'Zipping Point.' The drone then flies to the delivery location, hovering about 300 feet above the ground, and lowers a container with the order down to the customer, avoiding obstacles along the way. The service costs a $2.99 delivery fee plus a 15 percent service fee capped at $6 per order.
Chipotle's drone delivery programme is part of a wider strategy to improve speed and consistency, especially during peak periods. The company has also been upgrading kitchen equipment, such as grills, rice cookers, and fryers, to reduce cooking times and ease bottlenecks. Additionally, Chipotle is expanding the use of its AI assistant, 'Ava Cado,' which launched in 2024 to streamline hiring and is now being developed to provide managers with operational insights for staffing, workflow, and performance tracking.
CEO Scott Boatwright said the innovations are aimed at helping teams perform at their best and giving customers more reasons to choose Chipotle. The company plans to expand the drone service to more locations in the second quarter, following encouraging early results from the Rowlett test.
