Delivery expansion for North Texas drone food delivery company

Flytrex's new building in Pilot Point smells of new wood and paint. Hubbed in North Texas but headquartered in Tel Aviv, the autonomous drone delivery company wants to spread its wings.

"We feel there's a need for it. We're solving a need," Jason McGarry said.

McGarry is the Regional Operations Manager for Flytex. The company's locked in with platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats and now Little Caesars. It delivers, he said, in Little Elm, Frisco, and Wylie.

"This facility will be supporting about 1,500 drones out in the DFW metroplex," he said.

The larger fleet will allow them to deliver in Plano, Rowlett, Hurst, North Richland Hills and Fort Worth, he said.

McGarry said they plan to fill 50 positions to keep up with the demand.

"They want it quickly. The number one thing as a consumer when you order food ... you either want it hot or you want it cold," he said.

Food is ordered through the company's app, which lists participating restaurants. McGarry said customers get their order as they monitor it on the app — deciding where the delivery point should be — and the order arrives. According to McGarry, no spilled drinks, but there are times when the wind can be an interference.

He said they are currently working on weather technology to make it through the weather. As it stands, if inclement weather becomes an issue, a person comes on the ground to make the delivery. There is a $2 delivery fee, he said. Their business model does not include tips.

"We're also going to look at how do we deliver in rain, mid to moderate rain? How do we deliver on more windy days? How are we going to go to a state that has below freezing temperatures?" he said.

The company also wants to have drones dock at restaurant stations as part of the future of food delivery.

A few food drone facts:

• Can carry up to 8.8 pounds per delivery
• Food drones recharge after each drop on a large touch pad. The average charge time is 7 minutes
• The drones fly 200-400 ft in the air and travel as fast as 34 mph
• Runners take orders to pilots at launch sites where bagged food is hooked on a drone.
• Each launch site can handle 15 to 20 drones.