Duane Beckett
Papa Johns has started testing drone delivery with Wing, Alphabet’s drone delivery company. The test is only in Indian Trail, North Carolina, which is just outside Charlotte.
The pilot began on May 11, 2026, and according to Wing, the service is starting through the Wing app, with Papa Johns’ Oven Toasted Sandwiches as the first items available.
The company also said this is Wing’s first direct partnership with a national restaurant brand.
I grew up in a world where pizza delivery meant a car pulling up outside, a warm box, and maybe a movie already waiting in the VCR. Now, the food falls from the sky. Although, one key thing is not on the menu, yet.
What’s flying through the air?
The menu available via the Wing drone service includes the Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Steak & Mushroom sandwiches.
Pizza Marketplace reports that eligible customers in the pilot zone can order those sandwiches now, while the companies plan to connect Wing’s drone network with the Papa Johns app and Lou, its AI ordering assistant.
Restaurant Dive reported that the early test is about more than sandwiches. It gives Papa Johns and Wing a way to test ordering systems, food prep, packaging, loading, and delivery flow before trying something more complicated, like a pizza.
Why not pizza yet?
A simple answer would be that a large pizza box is awkward in the air. WIRED found that Wing’s CEO, Adam Woodworth, pointed to the flat surface area of the box and the obvious problem that nobody wants a pizza tilted in flight.
Wing and Papa Johns say they’re working on new ways to pack and load orders so food can travel with better aerodynamic design. If they can, it’s easy to imagine fast-food of all types flying through the air in the future.
Wing’s role in the test
Wing’s drones use vertical lift motors for takeoff and landing, separate cruise motors for longer-range flight, and automated route planning after a customer places an order. The company says its drones can cruise up to 60 mph and travel up to 12 miles round trip.
Wing also says it became the first U.S. drone delivery company to receive a Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate in 2019 and now operates on three continents.
Reuters reported that food drone deliveries are still rare in the U.S., partly because of regulations, including rules around operators maintaining line of sight with drones. So this is not replacing the local delivery driver tomorrow.
Still, it’s worth watching. As WIRED put it, drones may be useful during rush periods when workers and delivery drivers are trying to keep up. For now, Papa Johns is flying sandwiches. Pizza can wait for its big entrance.