More Texas residents will see their Chipotle deliveries take to the sky as the restaurant expands its drone delivery service.
The fast-casual chain is growing its Zipline drone network across north Texas, with a new launch in Fort Worth, CEO Scott Boatwright said during a recent earnings call.
Residents in North Fort Worth within about three miles of the 7400 block of North Beach Street can now order and receive their meals by drone, according to the company.
The service builds on an earlier test run in Rowlett, where customers first experienced drone delivery last summer. After reporting what it called “encouraging early results,” Chipotle is now planning to expand the service to more locations in the second quarter.
Upon its launch in August, the program used Zipline’s Platform 2 drones, which are designed to operate in rain, heat and cold. The system was limited to lighter orders of up to 5.5 pounds, with plans to eventually raise that capacity to 8 pounds as the technology scales. Customers in August paid a $2.99 delivery fee, plus a 15 percent service fee that is capped at $6 per order.
The Independent has contacted Chipotle for further comment.
Customers can order drone delivery through the Zipline app, and restaurant employees place the food into a drone at what’s called a “Zipping Point.” The drone then flies to the delivery location and hovers about 300 feet above the ground. Instead of landing, it lowers a small container with the order down to the customer, carefully avoiding obstacles.
Zipline, one of several drone delivery companies operating in north Texas, currently takes flight in cities like Mesquite, Waxahachie, Kaufman, Weatherford, Greenville, Terrell, Anna, Lewisville and Bedford, many of which already have Chipotle restaurants.
The drone delivery program is part of Chipotle’s push to use technology and digital tools to improve speed and consistency behind the scenes, especially during peak periods when online orders are high. Alongside delivery innovation, the company said they have also been rolling out upgraded kitchen equipment, such as grills, rice cookers and fryers, to reduce cooking times and ease bottlenecks.
Chipotle is also expanding its use of artificial intelligence to support restaurant operations. Its AI assistant, “Ava Cado,” launched in 2024, has primarily been used to streamline hiring by automating parts of the recruitment process, helping free up managers to focus more on daily operations and customer service. The company plans to broaden Ava Cado’s capabilities to provide managers with more operational insights, such as support for staffing decisions, workflow management and performance tracking.
“Taken together, these efforts reflect the speed and breadth of innovation happening across the company, all in service of helping our teams perform at their best and give our guests more reasons to choose Chipotle,” Boatwright said on the call.
