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robotics/news//Mechanicsburg Patriot News
Papa John’s has tapped Alphabet-owned drone company Wing to test autonomous food delivery in North Carolina.
Papa John's is testing autonomous drone delivery with Alphabet's Wing in North Carolina.
KEY POINTS
The pilot focuses on delivering Papa John's new Oven-Toasted Sandwiches via drones.
Wing's drone network will soon integrate with Papa John's app and Lou AI, not just the Wing app.
This collaboration builds on Papa John's existing use of Google Cloud and AI for customer experience.
It appears Papa John’s is embarking on something new.
The pizza chain has tapped Alphabet-owned drone company Wing to test autonomous food delivery in North Carolina.
The move deepens Papa Johns’ relationship with Alphabet, Google’s parent holding company, and builds on the pizza brand’s existing work with Google Cloud that uses AI to improve the customer experience.
It’s yet another step forward in the right direction for major restaurant chains towards AI-powered logistics.
The pilot will allow customers near the Sun Valley Commons in Indian Trail to order certain Papa Johns menu items through the Wing app for drone delivery. The main focus will be on the chain’s new Oven-Toasted Sandwiches.
Customers can get their hands on the Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Steak & Mushroom. Papa Johns just released the new toasted sandwiches in early April.
According to a press release, “Merging Papa John’s operational expertise with Wing’s technical leadership is the recipe for solving last-mile delivery for restaurants across the U.S.”
Last-mile delivery has long been a challenge for restaurants that rely heavily on drivers and third-party platforms such as Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Previously, the Papa John’s pilot launched through the Wing app, but Wing’s drone network will “soon” integrate directly with Papa John’s first-party app and Lou AI, a digital pizza assistant powered by Google Cloud, according to the two companies.
“We are fundamentally shifting how our customers interact with our brand on digital platforms,” Kevin Vasconi, Papa Johns’ chief digital and technology officer said within the release. “With our agentic in-app ordering capabilities and Wing’s ultra-fast delivery, we are redefining the entire ordering experience, ending with fresh, hot Papa Johns delivered by drone right to our customers’ homes.”