POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. — A pizza went flying in Powder Springs Thursday.
Papa John's is taking its business to new heights, making history with its first drone delivery.
According to a release, the store becomes the first in the country to deliver pizza by drone. Pizza-lovers can start using the service on Thursday.
The historic delivery was made possible by Drone Express, a woman-owned logistics company. It has partnered with the pizza giant to offer drone delivery out of the Papa John's Powder Springs location at 4400 Brownsville Rd.
"It's so great to see," Kevin Carfa, Vice President of Digital for Papa John's said. "You know you feel like you are living in the future a little bit."
Customers can order one pizza and must be within the drone's 1-mile delivery radius. As long as they meet these requirements, a pizza could arrive at their door within 15 minutes, the pizza giant said.
The CEO of Drone Express, Beth Flippo, said they would work to expand the radius and weight allowance soon after they finish this pilot program.
And for those worried about the quality of the pizza, Flippo said it arrives better than pick up.
"When it arrives at the house that pizza is hotter and more perfect than if you picked it up and drive it to the house," Flippo said.
A team of four drone pilots will work at the Powder Springs store to help pizzas take flight. Flippo said many companies are reaching out to her for drone delivery, Papa John's just entered the new frontier first.
"The sky is really open," she said. "People are really thinking of ways to use this technology that we didn't."