DoorDash to start drone delivery in Charlotte

Drone deliveries will be available to neighborhoods within a 4-mile radius of the Arboretum; Panera Bread and a few other south Charlotte restaurants to participate

The following article appeared in the May 14, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and origidnal local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.

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Futuristic: A fleet of 18 drones will be stationed at the Arboretum in south Charlotte — and will deliver food from Panera and other restaurants to nearby neighborhoods via DoorDash

Drones were stationed inside a fenced area at the Arboretum shopping center in south Charlotte on Tuesday afternoon. DoorDash and drone operator Wing are planning to announce that the drones will be available to deliver food from restaurants to surrounding neighborhoods within a 4-mile radius. (Ledger photo)

By Tony Mecia

Food delivery in Charlotte is about to get a lot more high-tech.

In one of the largest deployments of drones in North Carolina, DoorDash and drone company Wing are expected to announce plans today that will result in avocado toast and apple chicken salads zipping through the skies over south Charlotte.

Building on a partnership underway in Dallas and Southwest Virginia, the companies say they will operate a drone hub, or “nest,” at the Arboretum shopping center in south Charlotte — and that several Arboretum restaurants including Panera Bread have signed on to allow hungry customers within four miles of the shopping center to order delivery by drone as soon as today.

Based on our reading of a map, that should enable tens of thousands of Charlotte residents in the Providence Road corridor between Fairview Road and Waverly/Rea Farms to receive food deliveries by drone — as well as parts of SouthPark to the north, Ballantyne to the west and Matthews to the east.