Do I tip a drone? What automated delivery means
By: Matt Cortina
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... The future is up in the air. If you were gazing skyward in Montiville [NJ] on the afternoon of April 20, [2026] you may have caught a glimpse of it: whirring octopus drones ferrying pizza through the sky.
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Three miniature pies flow 400 feet off the ground form The Columbia Inn on a Dexa drone during the New Jersey Pizza alliance's xPizza Day. the drone delivered the food to a nearby Morris County resident, completing the first autonomous drone pizza delivery in the Northeast.
..... It was a spectacle but also foreshadowed an automated restaurant future. Anthony Pizza, founder of the NJ Pizza Alliance and xPizza Day, said that in the next three years, drones and robotic pizza makers will be common, even if that give some of us pause.
..... "It's up to us to determine how robots are going to help us," Pizza said. "If we have the idea in our head that robots are just here to replace jobs, we're never going to move forward. But if we understand where robots are going to fin in society, working by our side and helping us in ways where they can actually accomplish repetitive tasks, the sky is the limit for this."
..... Pizza has long been inspired by Walt Disney and said the idea for xPizza Day was born out of an idea to cerate the "tommorowland of Pizza." the Columbia inn was an obvious choice for the event because manager-owner Fabio Antonio has already embraced the techno-future with his Cyber Pizza Truck and plans for autonomous auto deliveries. The event also featured a pizza bot serving fresh pies to attendees.
..... Though these demonstration may fell novel, Pizza organized the event to demonstrate, essentially, that the future ins now.
..... "I really think there are a lot more people out there that just don't realize this technology's been here for years," he said. "So as much as it;s about imagination and showcasing the technology, it's about the consumers as well."
..... Added Antonio, "the drone is showing you how we can get hot pizza to you faster, clearer and without needing a drive. The future of delivery is driver-less. the technology is hear."
..... Pizza's NJ Pizza Alliance brings together pizzeria owners, food vendors and influencer to promote the businesses, and also prides resources to eateries to improve there business. He said automation solves several problems for small-business owners.
..... "In pizzerias, the biggest [issue] they have is labor shortages. Number two is preparation, they have to wake up every morning and they have to make the ingredients fresh ... robots will be essential with preparing food," Pizza said.
..... Kura Sushi, PizzaHQ and Ani Ramen in North Jersey all have automated elements in their kitchens and dining rooms already.
..... On the consumer side, Pizzi said, drones in particular will lower delivery costs.
..... "One hundred percent it's going to lower the costs. the reason why is actually very simple, because these drones can be made in the thousands," hes aid. "the more drones we have, the less the cost is going to be. and I think eventually if they're able to manufacture enough of these tiny drones, I think drone delivery is going to be free."
..... More on those fees in a bit, but you may still be asked to induce a tip on the pizza packages; after all, there are still humans (for now) making and loading pizzas and launching the drones. though Dexa drones can fly in moderately bad weather and can navigate densely populated areas, so you may be inspired to support the bots, too.
'The Silicon Valley for pizza'
..... There are case studies in how a pizza-by-air future will play out. In Green Brook, customers can get food from wonder delivered on Dexa drone by way of a Grubhub order (you got all that?). On March 18, [2026] the cohort launched a three-month program to bring the wonder suite of foods to consumers within a 2.5 mile radius for no additional cost.
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Beth Flippo, chief executive officer of Dexa, said at the time, "This service is a glimpse into the future of how autonomous technology will help restaurants and retailers serve customers at a completely new level."
..... Dexa is one of only four U.S. companies that both manufacture and operate drones certified by the federal Aviation Administration, which is required for such commerce. trained crews ensure that deliveries are correct and packaged safely, drones follow approved, pre-designed flight path, and deliver are made using a controlled tether system.
..... By the end of 2025, over a million drones were being used in the United States to complete chimerical package deliveries, said the U.S. government Accountability Office. The FAA is collecting data on this early traffic to improve safety.
..... Several major companies have delved into package-by-drone services, including Amazon;s Prime Air, which operates in select states and promises rapid delivery for a small fee. Walmart is also in on the game; Walmart+ members get drone delivery for free and non-members are charged $19.99.
..... Fellow Luddities, huddle up: there are valid concerns about how increase drone delivery will affect jobs, safety, and air and noise pollution.
..... In 2023, the Massachusetts Institute of technology studied consumer reactions to increased drone delivery activity, paying particular attention to privacy concerns; the drones have cameras, after all, and so ostensibly can peer into neighbors' windows or provide an avenue for bad actors to track what type of products you might be getting air-dropped. Researchers found, predictably, that "offering privacy enhancements significantly increased consumers' likelihood of choosing drone delivery."
..... Regarding job loss, in areas whee autonomous driving services like Waymo are offered, hourly pay is down for human drivers. And one needn't google very long to see a host of delivery mishaps, such as drones crashing into buildings, construction equipment and cables or dropping packages from up to 10 feet off the ground.
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Other concerns include noise pollution energy consumption and environmental disruption and just the inauspicious specter of a sky filled with robots.
..... While companies, it is hoped, resolve those issues, drone package delivery expands nationwide and restaurants turn further to automation, Pizzi thinks the Garden State can carve out a role in this evolving future ... with pizza, of course.
..... "I'm not saying it might become, I'm saying it's going to become the Silicon Valley for pizza in the United States, Pizzi said.
..... Matt Cortina is a food reporter for northjersey.com/The Record. reach him at mcortina@usatodayco.com.