Restaurant employs drone delivery to enforce social distancing

A restaurant in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District, scored lots of attention recently for using drone food delivery.

Nguyen Duc Son, owner, said: "Due to the complicated development of the novel coronavirus, people are practicing social distancing when heading outside, especially at busy restaurants. So I came up with the idea of using a drone to deliver bread, hoping this would ease people’s anxiety when eating out."

Son sanitizes his drone and thoroughly checks its mechanics to avoid crashes.

He puts the handle of a bag of bread on to a hook attached to a string tied to the drone.

The drone can carry two breads max to avoid falling.

According to Son, because his venue is small and has a low ceiling, he only uses this method if customers want to experience this novel format, which also serves as a way to help him satisfy his passion for technology.

"At first, I only pulled out the drone when the restaurant had few customers, then posted footage online as a fun experience. But I unexpectedly received a lot of enthusiastic support," he said.

Hong Loan, a Thanh Tri District resident, laughs while receiving her bread via drone.

"Drone delivery does not make me feel uncomfortable at all since it is small and looks safe. I would come back here to try the ‘fly bread!’"

Vu Thi Anh, a Ha Dong District resident and a frequent customer, said: "I find this delivery method very interesting. It helps placate some of the worries of eating out during the outbreak."

Son said sales have dropped significantly ever since the outbreak hit Hanoi. But they began picking up after he introduced this delivery method, of which many are pickup orders.