Flytrex drones deliver Chilli’s takeout to Dallas, Texas area

Beware of falling Tex Mex.

Flytrex, the Israeli startup that’s aiming to beat Amazon in the drone-delivery race, said today it will expand its service to Granbury, Texas, near Dallas-Ft. Worth. The service will allow people who live in the immediate area to get food from Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy delivered to their backyards via drone.

The move comes after the company received a new waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deliver within a radius of one nautical mile as part of its partnership with Causey Aviation Unmanned. It also follows a successful pilot in North Carolina in which residents were able to receive items by drone during quarantine.

Tel Aviv-based Flytrex has since announced $40 million in funding, as reported by TechCrunch in November of last year. The company has partnered with major retailers such as Walmart to test the feasibility of drone delivery mechanisms that are not only convenient, but safe, affordable, and environmentally friendly. 

The concept has its skeptics. Even though it’s been almost nine years since Jeff Bezos unveiled Amazon’s aerial ambitions on 60 Minutes, autonomous package-toting drones have not exactly flooded the skies since then. However, drone delivery does seem to work relatively well in limited scenarios, such as carrying lightweight items—food, for instance—over short distances.

For its Texas arrival, Flytrex is also expanding an existing partnership with Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy, which also happens to be based in Dallas. Eligible residents in the area can try out the service by using the Flytrex app.