E-commerce

DoorDash launching pilot drone delivery

Image: DoorDash

October 2, 2026

Summarize with

DoorDash has announced in a press release the launch of a drone delivery pilot in northern Carlifornia in partnership with national restaurant brands such as Chipotle and Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen.

DoorDash unveiled its autonomous aircraft powered by DoorDash Air this week and outlined plans for an end-to-end drone delivery system with infrastructure and delivery orchestration designed to scale for all local businesses.

"We didn't start with a drone and ask what would fit. We started with what people order and how local businesses actually operate, then built the entire system from there," Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air, said in the release. "Any local business should be able to reach consumers by air. We built the whole system so that they can deliver by air without being disruptive to how they run their business."

With six slow-spinning propellers mounted at the end of the drone's arms, the aircraft's cruising noise is limited to roughly that of a passing car at delivery height.

"DoorDash Air is another example of how we're evolving our digital capabilities to give guests more choice and convenience in how they enjoy Chipotle," Arlie Sisson, chief digital officer of Chipotle, said in the release. "No matter how an order reaches our guests, what sets Chipotle apart remains the same: our food is freshly prepared by our teams using real ingredients and the culinary techniques that define our brand."

DoorDash also recently announced its "next chapter" in retail will include more brand.

DoorDash is expanding its retail marketplace with new partnerships across apparel, beauty, and home: Macy's, Anthropologie, The North Face, Vans, and Timberland are all now available to shop, according to a press release.

"This is what we mean by the mall in your pocket: the brands you already know and trust, on the shelf near you, delivered as easily as walking into the mall used to be. You can get Macy's or Anthropologie in as little as an hour, and return it just as easily if it's not right, no box, no label, back on the shelf and the money back in your pocket," Shanna Prevé, chief revenue officer at DoorDash, said in a press release.