Papa John's tests drone delivery in North Carolina suburb

By Waylon Cunningham

May ‌11 (Reuters) - Papa ​John's ​International is testing U.S. drone deliveries in a small market in North Carolina, the pizza ‌chain announced Monday.

The test is a partnership ⁠between the pizza company and Wing, a drone delivery company owned ‌by Google parent company ‌Alphabet.

The chain said deliveries would begin on Monday for customers near Sun Valley Commons, a shopping ​mall in a suburb near Charlotte, North Carolina. Customers must order through an app managed by ⁠Wing and drone deliveries are only available for a few select sandwiches.

The ​move is part of a larger effort by Papa John's to modernize its technology. Executives ​last year told Reuters they ‌felt the company had fallen behind its peers in some respects. In April, it ⁠announced a new AI-powered chatbot in its app that customers can use to place pizza orders.

In China, drone ⁠deliveries of food have become popular in many cities, but such ​deliveries are virtually non-existent in the U.S.

Chains like Chipotle and Dave's Hot Chicken have in recent months announced small-scale tests ‌similar to Papa John's.

Industry experts say the technology is available in the U.S. but ‌its use in food delivery is restricted by ⁠regulations such as those ‌that require drone ​operators to maintain a line of sight with their drones.

(Reporting by Waylon CunninghamEditing by Bill ‌Berkrot)

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