• by Teresa Buyikian , Yesterday

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s your Jamba smoothie! Texas DoorDash customers ordering from GoTo Food’s brands may have to look to the skies for their next delivery.

The parent company of Auntie Anne's, Jamba, McAlister's Deli and Schlotzsky's, GoTo Foods has teamed up with DoorDash to provide drone delivery in three Texas markets. The drones, which are provided by the company Wing, give “tens of thousands of households .. more ways to access mall-based brands like Auntie Anne's and Jamba,” per the announcement.

The move is part of what GoTo Foods says is “accelerating its shift to a digital-first, off-premise future.”

"Drone delivery is one way that GoTo Foods is unlocking innovation with purpose, to expand accessibility and drive frequency," says Kieran Donahue, chief commercial officer at GoTo Foods. "Today's consumer expects brands to meet them where they are, on their terms and that's exactly why we're modernizing through convenience and personalized experiences."

GoTo Foods' drone delivery is currently available in Frisco, Texas, for Auntie Anne’s; Fort Worth for Jamba and Auntie Anne's; and Plano, for McAlister's Deli and Schlotzsky's orders. DoorDash customers within a four-mile radius are eligible for drone delivery and can access it by looking for the drone icon on the app home screen, or by checking their address for drone eligibility at wing.com/get-delivery. Customers not eligible now can also sign up to be notified when drone delivery is available.

With other chains such as Wendy's just exploring drone delivery in other markets, seems it’s been a long time coming—the Federal Aviation Administration approved commercial home deliveries more than six years ago. Per a recent AP story, just last week the FAA proposed a new rule to make it “easier for companies to fly drones outside of an operator's line of sight,” which now opens up drone deliveries over longer distances.