Food technology platform Wonder and Zipline team up to bring drone delivered meals to Texas
Wonder and Zipline have announced a partnership to bring on-demand drone delivery to Wonder locations across Texas. Beginning in January 2027, customers will be able to order meals via drone from select Wonder locations.
Ahead of its planned expansion into Texas in 2027, Wonder is developing the necessary infrastructure, including storefront construction, kitchen buildouts, logistics, and ordering technology. By the end of 2027, it expects the majority of its Texas locations will offer drone delivery, beginning in Dallas.
“We're constantly exploring new ways to make great food more accessible," says Tony Hoggett, CEO at Wonder North America. "Partnering with Zipline allows us to push the boundaries of what's possible, combining our innovative food technology platform with world class drone technology to reach customers in Texas through faster, more convenient delivery and serve them in entirely new ways."
Zipline's electric drones autonomously retrieve orders and fly them directly to customers' homes. To date, the company has completed more than 2.5 million autonomous deliveries worldwide across healthcare, food, and retail sectors, with more than 100,000 items available for order today in the US.
Wonder will also use the Zipline Dropbox, a pickup solution with indoor and outdoor loading capabilities. The Dropbox is flexible to different business layouts and can be rapidly added to locations with no construction. Orders are loaded into a drawer secured by a keypad, and then Zipline autonomously handles the rest, with no waiting and no interaction with drones.
"Every restaurant has menu items they hesitate to put in a delivery bag. Zipline changes that. By taking traffic out of the equation, Wonder can now offer customers their menu with confidence that every meal will arrive exactly as their chefs intended," says Chris Kenney, Head of National Partnerships for Zipline. "Wonder is proving that drone delivery is a growth driver. Customers get a better experience, and restaurants get more demand."
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Drone delivery will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
