Overview

• Zipotle went live Aug. 21 from Chipotle’s Rowlett, Texas, location, with early access limited to select Zipline app users and a broader rollout promised in the coming weeks.
• Customers place orders in the Zipline app as staff load meals into a Zipping Point for autonomous pickup; the aircraft then hovers about 300 feet and lowers the order by tether to the delivery spot.
• The service operates daily from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. CT with plans to extend to 10 p.m.; pricing is a $2.99 delivery fee plus a 15% service fee capped at $6.
• Initial payloads are up to 5.5 pounds with a planned increase to 8 pounds, and the full Chipotle menu is available for drone delivery in the pilot area.
• Expansion depends on beyond-visual-line-of-sight approvals and other FAA frameworks, with early Dallas operations using Platform 2 drones and an initial range of about two miles despite a 10-mile design radius.