One Chick-fil-A location in Tampa, Florida, has recently launched a pilot program that uses delivery drones.

While the idea seems novel and convenient, is it something workers at the fast food restaurant chain should worry about?

Will the drones eventually replace all human delivery drivers?

Stores in Valrico, Florida can send orders using drones

Chick-fil-A announced the initiative on Instagram early in November, posting a video showing employees preparing a meal at the restaurant and placing it onto a small drone for delivery.

A wire connected to the drone, which is roughly the same size as a small desk, carefully lowers the food from the sky to the waiting customer. The drone was designed to be carefully sealed off to avoid spills during the flight.

In another video promoting the new delivery option, a Chick-fil-A worker can be seen packaging a tightly wrapped drink in a cardboard box with wrapping paper to provide a cushion. This allegedly ensures that beverages can be delivered to customers without a spill.

The fast food chain invited people to try the new service, which is only available to those near Chick-fil-A in Valrico, Florida. To receive orders by drone, customers are advised to place an order between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

A representative from the Valrico Chick-fil-A location said the flying drones can make deliveries within 1.2 miles. However, the store anticipates "a 2-mile radius soon."

This drone delivery idea came after Chick-fil-A entered an agreement with DroneUp, a Virginia-based drone company that has also worked with Walmart in December 2022. Last year, Walmart announced the launch of delivery drones at five of its stores around the Tampa Bay area.

The stores offer drone delivery for customers living within at least a mile of certain locations. Walmart customers could choose from more than 10,000 eligible items and have them delivered to their homes within 30 minutes.

However, the Walmart drone delivery service has some restrictions, such as the total order must weigh under 10 pounds. Customers also have to pay a $3.99 delivery fee.

Like the Chick-fil-A delivery drone, the Walmart drones deliver customer orders to the front door via a cable that "gently lowers the package into the customer's yard." Walmart's drone team is controlled by certified pilots operating within Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines. (Related: LAYOFFS INCOMING: Walmart teams up with Wings for high-speed drone deliveries to 60,000 homes in Dallas.)

Chelsea Lee, a Chick-fil-A spokesperson, said the company is "in the early stages of testing drone delivery at a small number of Chick-fil-A restaurants." The fast food chain is also planning to use autonomous robot vehicles in the future.

Delivery drones could replace human workers one day

Chik-fil-A and Walmart's delivery drones have proven that automation will soon eliminate certain jobs.

While workers worry that they could lose their jobs in the coming years, more and more companies are beginning to employ robots on manufacturing floors, in kitchens and on delivery routes.

According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report for 2023 forecast, both humanoid and nonhumanoid robots are "set to reduce employment in the years to come, as nearly equal amounts of companies say they’re expecting growth, worker displacement or a neutral effect due to the technology." The sectors most likely to adopt robotics are electronics, energy tech, utilities and consumer goods.

At least 60 percent of companies operating in the production of consumer goods and the oil and gas industry project that jobs will be lost due to automation. Meanwhile, 60 percent of companies operating in information and technology services predict that jobs will be created because of robots in the next five years.

Because of the potential job displacements, many unions and labor rights advocates in the country oppose the adoption of robots, especially due to worries that they could completely replace some human functions.

Source:
courtesy of NATURALNEWS

by Zoey Sky

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