Zipline expands Texas drone delivery to Walmart, Popeye’s, and more
An autonomous drone technology provider is growing a food delivery service it launched in Rowlett, Texas in August 2025.
In an email to Chain Store Age, Zipline, an American robotics company that designs, manufactures and operates what it says is the world’s largest autonomous delivery system, has widened the number of restaurant and prepared food brands available for delivery by its all-electric drone service in Texas.
Eligible customers near Rowlett can now order food for delivery via Zipline drone from 16 food service brands, including national retailers such as Walmart , Crumbl Cookies, Little Caesars Pizza, Popeyes, and Blaze Pizza; as well as local restaurants including Village Coffee by Altara and Torta Shell Taqueria.
[READ MORE: Walmart's ultrafast drone delivery takes off in Atlanta]
Zipline is also delivering to more than 25 public locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including parks, the University of North Texas campus and the Rowlett Public Library. According to Zipline, its average flight time is three minutes with the shortest click-to-delivery time being five minutes.
In less than a year since commencing operations there, Zipline says it now delivers thousands of orders a day to customers across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and is continuing to grow every week. Other recently onboarded restaurant brand partners include national chain Hawaiian Bros. and local retailers Cheesesteak House, Supreme Donuts, and Amelia’s Cocina Mexicana. The company says it will continue adding new restaurants and partners to its drone delivery network each week.
Customers in Rowlett can download the Zipline app to find out if they are eligible for drone delivery. If eligible, customers can place an order by clicking the storefront of their business of choice. Associates of that retailer will prepare the order and when it is ready, place the meal into a Zipline dropbox to be picked up by a drone.
Once the order is picked up, the drone flies to the delivery point and hovers around 300 feet in the air while the order is lowered to the ground.
