Drone News

Walmart now delivering groceries via drones at 11 stores around Dallas

Look out look out, drones overhead.

Business Wire

The drones have landed at Walmart: Drone delivery service is now available at 11 stores in the Dallas area, including East Dallas, Garland, Mesquite, Plano, and Richardson.

This marks the entry of Walmart’s drone delivery service in Texas, part of a plan to expand its drone offering to 4 million additional households across six states.

In partnership with DroneUp, Walmart will offer drone delivery in five other states in addition to Texas by the end of the year — Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Utah, and Virginia — for a total of 34 stores making drone delivery in 23 cities nationwide by year end.

Drone delivery is now offered from these Texas stores:

Neighborhood Market #29753959 Broadway Blvd, Garland
Walmart Supercenter #3224555 W Interstate 30, Garland
Walmart Supercenter #18001801 Marketplace Dr, Garland
Walmart Supercenter #2973115 West Fm 544, Murphy
Neighborhood Market #56573100 Custer Rd, Plano
Neighborhood Market #29741501 Buckingham Rd, Richardson
Neighborhood Market #2976915 N Town East Blvd, Mesquite
Neighborhood Market #30152827 S Buckner Blvd, Dallas
Neighborhood Market #50212275 Gus Thomasson Rd, Dallas
Walmart Supercenter #32252501 Lakeview Pkwy, Rowlett
Walmart Supercenter #4264691 State Highway 121, The Colony

Customers who live within a mile of a participating store can place orders through www.droneupdelivery.com between 8 am-8 pm. Drones can deliver more than 10,000 eligible Walmart items up to 10 pounds, including fragile items like eggs, in as little as 30 minutes.

There are no order minimums and the delivery fee is $3.99. (With use of promo code FreeDeliveryTX, customers using drone delivery for the first time will have the delivery fee waived.)

Once the items are packaged and loaded into the drone, the order is delivered using a cable that gently lowers the package into the customer’s yard.

DroneUp deliveries are powered by a team of certified pilots operating within FAA guidelines to safely manage flight operations. Deliveries will be made to the safest location of the customer’s home, such as in the front or backyard or driveway. Customers can check if drone delivery is available to their homes by visiting www.droneupdelivery.com.

Founded in 2016, DroneUp is a technology company based in Virginia Beach that combines airspace solutions, software applications, and analytics platforms to help companies operate at scale with drone innovation. In 2021, DroneUp received a significant investment from Walmart, how much exactly, they do not say.

Walmart VP Vik Gopalakrishnan says they're proud to be on the forefront of innovation.

“Drone delivery makes it possible for our customers to shop those last-minute or forgotten items with ease, in a package that’s frankly really cool," Gopalakrishnan says. "It may seem like a futuristic option, but it’s giving our customers what they’ve always wanted, and that’s time back to focus on what is most important to them."

technology trends supermarkets

Deep Ellum News

Mexican 'vibe' restaurant from California to open in Deep Ellum Dallas

Mama Por Dios

A buzzy concept from California is coming to Dallas: Mama Por Dios, a Mexican restaurant chain known for its vibe, will open its first location in Texas in Deep Ellum in the Epic development at 2525 Elm St., taking over the former La Neta space, which shuttered in May.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in early to mid-January.

Mama Por Dios was founded in Southern California in 2020 by chef Misael Guerrero, who famously got his start selling Mexican sushi out of his garage.

Since those early days, he's gone on to form a restaurant empire called Emme Group, with concepts that include Los Amores de Julia, El Rincon de Los Dolidos, and Culichi Town, a lower-priced chain known for Sinaloa-style Mexican sushi & seafood, which has a local presence: It opened a location in Mesquite in 2022.

Mama Por Dios — which translates to "Mother of God" — describes itself as modern Mexican, offering a unique blend of steakhouse, sushi bar, and seafood. The menu includes favorites like tacos and enchiladas, alongside luxe dishes like lobster with spaghetti, lobster enchiladas, and a surf & turf featuring a lobster tail balanced atop a skirt steak. Prices range from $18 for birria tacos to $48 for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

But they also have a showy side that includes flamboyant presentations such as the bacon-wrapped shrimp which come strung on clothespins; or the trompito al pastor, served on a personal spit, as well as servers who walk around with shots while dancing with patrons.

There's a Gold Burger for $65 featuring Prime beef on a brioche bun garnished with 24k gold leaf, and a similarly gilded tomahawk steak for $400 that brings to mind the good old days of Salt Bae. Decor is swanky with low lighting, and there'll be a serious brunch offering on weekends.

Cocktails such as the Al Agua Pato — served in a mini bathtub with a rubber ducky — are made for Instagram. They offer margarita and mezcalita flights with flavors such as mango, tamarindo, and strawberry, and intriguing sips like Carajillo, a Spanish cocktail with Licor 43, espresso, and 43 different fruit, citrus, aromatic, and herbal ingredients.

There’s also a $20 per-person minimum spend, and the menu comes with a warning that everything is cooked to order — meaning some dishes may take 30 to 40 minutes. For many diners, waiting will surely be part of the experience.

deep-ellum tex-mex openings