Drones News

Frisco and Little Elm are first to get ice cream delivered by drones

There's a race to see who gets drone deliveries first.

Wing

More drones are swooping in: Wing, the drone delivery division of Google parent company Alphabet, is launching what it calls the first commercial drone delivery service in a major U.S. metropolitan area, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, on Thursday, April 7.

A chatty release from recently-appointed company president Adam Woodworth says they're starting small with service to "tens of thousands" of suburban homes in Frisco and Little Elm, with a goal of expanding based on demand.

Wing first launched in Australia in 2019 where it has done some drone deliveries, but mostly to small towns. The company also operates drones in Christiansburg, Virginia, population approximately 23,000.

They first announced their plans for Texas back in October, and are finally getting it off the ground this week. They're squeaking in right before Flytrex, which announced their drone invasion in Granbury days ago. Drones are a very competitive market and DFW is where it's at.

Wing's drones carry one package at a time, departing from a "nest" and flying at speeds of up to 70 mph. When it gets to your house, it hovers 23 feet in the air and drops the package on a cable into your backyard.

They've staged drones at Walgreens, their primary partner, and will deliver health and wellness products to customer homes via drones. Each Walgreens store will be able to deploy a fleet from their parking lot or roof.

The first Walgreens store to deploy drones is located at 2774 E. Eldorado Pkwy. in Little Elm, which also covers parts of Frisco. Delivery is within a 6-mile range which they say takes 6 minutes.

In addition to Walgreens, Win has formed partnerships with three other partners: Easyvet, to deliver prescription pet medications; first aid kits from Texas Health; and ice cream from Blue Bell Creameries. Yikes, of all the ice cream companies to partner with, after that listeriosis episode in 2015.

In his statement, Woodworth cautioned that not everyone should get their hopes up regarding the drones.

"I do want to set clear expectations: not everyone who lives within range of our drones will be able to order on Day 1," he said. "We’re going to invite customers in groups to make sure everyone has a good first experience with drone delivery."

technology

Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's an ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.