Charleys Philly Steaks by Drone: Flytrex Delivers in North Carolina

Flytrex Expands to Fifth Delivery Location in Durham, NC: Charleys Philly Steaks by Drone

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Today, Charleys Philly Steaks announced a partnership with ultrafast drone delivery leader Flytrex. The partnership will see the delivery of freshly grilled cheesesteaks by drone in Durham, North Carolina, with orders placed using the Flytrex app and delivered directly to residents’ yards with an average flight time of only three minutes.

Following the same ordering process as previously established delivery stations, local residents will be able to order their favorite food items from Charleys, in addition to food and goods from other local restaurants, cafes and retailers. After an order is placed, the Flytrex app keeps the customer updated on the status of their order up until it is gently lowered by wire directly into their backyard.

“The future of delivery is here, and we couldn’t be more excited. I can think of no better way to receive a fresh cheesesteak delivered hot off the grill to my yard,” said Charleys’ CMO Brian Hipsher. “We look forward to expanding our partnership with Flytrex to create a more cost effective and quick delivery service for all our guests.”

Charleys Philly Steaks places a great deal of value in digital initiatives, with the franchise prioritizing customer engagement through their Charleys Rewards loyalty program, which currently boasts more than 1,000,000 members. This customer-focused approach also involves the introduction of new menu items and the incorporation of accessible, supportive technologies streamlining the online ordering process, giving the brand a leg up in the expanding QSR industry.

“We are thrilled to spread our wings once again in North Carolina and bring delicious cheesesteaks to our new customers in Durham,” said Flytrex CEO and cofounder Yariv Bash. “This partnership with Charleys and its accompanying expansion brings us one step closer to a future of affordable, ultrafast delivery that is both safe and green. We look forward to continuing growing our delivery service nationwide to reach the tens of millions of backyards across the country.”

This new base of operations in Durham will be Flytrex’s fifth delivery station in the U.S. and its fourth in North Carolina. Flytrex already has three operational stations in the state, located in Fayetteville, Raeford, and Holly Springs. Last month, the company also expanded its drone delivery service to Granbury, Texas, located just outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The service will operate alongside longtime partner Causey Aviation Unmanned, leveraging a recently issued Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver authorizing a two nautical mile delivery radius across its stations in North Carolina and Texas, putting the service in range of hundreds of thousands of potential homes.

Flytrex launched the first ever fully autonomous urban drone delivery system in Reykjavik, Iceland back in 2017. Ever since, the company has worked in close collaboration with regulators to guarantee the highest safety standards for drone delivery. Flytrex took part in the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), which ended in October 2020, as well as the FAA’s successive BEYOND initiative, helping the North Carolina Department of Transportation to address the remaining challenges of UAS integration.

Read more about Flytrex:

• FAA Grants Approval for Flytrex to Double Drone Delivery Range
• Drone Delivery of Ice Cream: Flytrex Partners with Unilever!
• Jersey Mike Subs by Drone: Flytrex Partners with National Food Chain
• Flytrex Begins Food Delivery by Drone in Dallas Fort Worth
• Flytrex Gets FAA Approval for One Mile Drone Deliveries. 1 Mile; 10,000 Homes.

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.