Chipotle Adds Aerial Delivery in Texas

Chipotle Mexican Grill has partnered with Zipline, a maker of autonomous aircraft, to fly digital orders to guests’ locations in greater Dallas.

Chipotle will offer the delivery option—called Zipotle—starting with a small number of guests and will eventually offer broader service in the coming weeks. Every Chipotle menu item is eligible.

To use Zipotle, guests download the Zipline app and, if eligible, place their order. An employee puts the order in a pickup location, the aircraft picks it up, flies it to the destination, hovers about 300 feet in the air and lowers it to the ground.

“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,” says Curt Garner, president, chief strategy and technology officer at Chipotle, in the release.

Zipline began making autonomous deliveries of medical products to rural hospitals in Rwanda and today delivers to roughly 5,000 hospitals and health facilities around the world.

Chipotle marks one of the latest restaurant brands to offer a fresh take on delivery. GoTo Foods recently added drone delivery for some of its brands in select Texas markets, and White Castle plans to use AI-powered robots in Chicago.