Grubhub is expanding its exploration of new delivery technologies with a three-month pilot program that will use autonomous drones to deliver food from a Wonder location in Green Brook, New Jersey. The initiative, scheduled to launch next week, will mark the first time commercial food delivery by drone is tested in New Jersey and reflects growing interest across the restaurant technology sector in autonomous logistics as a way to improve delivery efficiency.
Under the program, eligible customers within a 2.5-mile radius of the Wonder location will be able to order through the Grubhub app and select drone delivery at checkout. The service will be offered at no additional cost beyond standard delivery and service fees. The test is being conducted in partnership with Dexa, a drone delivery technology company that manufactures and operates FAA-certified delivery aircraft. After the pilot period concludes, Grubhub will evaluate performance and consider expanding the program to additional restaurants nearby.
The initiative brings together three different components of the modern restaurant delivery ecosystem. Grubhub provides the digital ordering platform and marketplace infrastructure. Wonder contributes its centralized production model, where multiple restaurant concepts operate from a single location. Dexa supplies the drone hardware and flight systems used to transport orders. The aircraft used in the program, Dexa’s DE-2020, is fully automated and lowers deliveries to the ground using a controlled tether system rather than landing, allowing orders to be placed safely without requiring dedicated landing areas.
Wonder, founded by entrepreneur Marc Lore, is building a rapidly expanding food hall–style platform that combines multiple restaurant brands under a single kitchen operation designed primarily for delivery and takeout. Customers can order from a variety of cuisines prepared in one location, creating a centralized production hub that simplifies fulfillment logistics. That structure makes the model particularly well suited for testing new delivery technologies such as drones.
Customers choosing drone delivery will still interact with the same ordering interface used for traditional deliveries. Real-time GPS tracking, estimated arrival notifications, and order confirmations will be available within the Grubhub app. According to the companies, trained flight crews will verify packaging before each launch and monitor flights that follow pre-approved routes designed to prioritize safety and minimize noise.
Wonder’s operating model plays an important role in the pilot. The company’s multi-restaurant format allows customers to order from up to fifteen different food concepts prepared within a single kitchen facility. That centralized production approach simplifies logistics and creates a consistent pickup point for deliveries, which can be helpful when testing new fulfillment technologies such as drone delivery.
For the restaurant industry more broadly, drone delivery is being examined as one possible way to address some of the challenges associated with last-mile logistics. Delivery platforms have expanded consumer access to restaurants over the past decade, but the economics of delivery remain complex for both restaurants and technology providers. Driver availability, traffic conditions, and labor costs all affect delivery performance. Autonomous delivery technologies could eventually provide another option for certain types of short-distance orders, particularly in suburban environments.
At the same time, industry observers generally expect drone delivery to complement traditional driver networks rather than replace them. Weather limitations, payload restrictions, and regulatory requirements mean that drones are currently best suited to relatively short routes and lightweight orders. Even so, companies across the delivery and logistics sectors continue to test the technology as part of broader efforts to improve fulfillment speed and operational efficiency.
Grubhub’s pilot also takes place within a growing competitive landscape. Several technology companies have been experimenting with drone delivery programs in recent years. Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has conducted drone delivery tests in multiple markets with restaurant and retail partners. Amazon continues to develop its Prime Air drone logistics initiative. DroneUp has worked with Walmart on aerial delivery programs that include food and retail products. Zipline, which initially focused on medical supply delivery in Africa, has expanded its technology into commercial logistics. Dexa, Grubhub’s partner in the New Jersey program, is one of a small number of U.S. companies that manufacture and operate FAA-certified delivery drones.
Regulation remains an important factor shaping the pace of adoption. Commercial drone operations must comply with rules established by the Federal Aviation Administration, including certification standards and approved flight paths. Only a limited number of companies currently hold the permissions needed to conduct routine commercial delivery flights beyond an operator’s visual line of sight. Pilot programs such as the one in Green Brook provide an opportunity for companies to test operational processes while gathering data under existing regulatory frameworks.
Executives involved in the program say the collaboration is intended to explore how autonomous technologies can fit within existing delivery systems. Abhishek “PJ” Poykayil, senior vice president of customer delivery operations at Wonder and Grubhub, said the partnership brings together Grubhub’s delivery platform, Wonder’s kitchen model, and Dexa’s drone technology to test new approaches to restaurant delivery. Beth Flippo, chief executive officer of Dexa, described the program as an example of how autonomous systems could support restaurants and retailers in the future.
For restaurant operators and technology providers, the pilot reflects a broader effort to explore different approaches to delivery logistics as consumer demand for convenience continues to evolve. While drone delivery is still in an early stage, experiments like this one provide insight into how emerging technologies might eventually become part of the restaurant delivery infrastructure. Whether drones ultimately become a regular feature of restaurant logistics will depend on the results of pilots like this and the continued development of both technology and regulatory frameworks.
