Food Delivery by Drone Is Launching in New Jersey This Week

It looks like the future of food delivery is coming to New Jersey, and officials are hoping it flies! Literally. A new "pilot" program is being tested in Somerset County.

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Grubhub is teaming up with a drone company called DEXA and the food spot Wonder in Green Brook to test this out. If you live within about 2.5 miles, you can just go on the Grubhub app, order your food, and pick the drone delivery option. Yep—your food can literally fly to you.

I don't have a problem with this service. The drones travel 350 feet high, so they are basically out of sight and sound til they land. The service runs only during daytime hours, 10:30 to 4. The drones won't fly in bad weather either.

It does eliminate the human who would be driving your delivery, so that may cut jobs? Although I would think you would need a human to program the travel route for the drone. I guess it would eliminate vehicle pollution using the drone along with traffic generated by delivery service on the ground.

So here’s the deal, once your order’s ready, the drone heads up about 350 feet, way high up where you probably won’t even notice it. When it gets to your place, it drops down to around 8 feet and gently lowers your food on a line. As soon as it hits the ground, the drone takes off and heads right back to the restaurant. Pretty cool setup.

According to a News 12 report, "Wonder offers a variety of menu items for drone delivery, including pasta, pizza, burgers, Lebanese dishes, and Mexican food. Not all items are available, but many fit in the delivery box. DEXA expects to complete about four deliveries per hour. If the three-month pilot program goes well, drone delivery could expand to other locations across New Jersey."

Any thoughts on this program?