On‐Time Meal Delivery Assisted by Drone Resupply

Ensuring timely delivery is crucial with the increasing competition in online meal delivery services. This requires the industry to adopt new technologies and the corresponding operational models, including the use of drones. Concerning the desired features of meal delivery, such as safety and reliability, we propose an operational model that incorporates the usage of drones into the current rider‐based delivery model. In our approach, known as drone resupply, drones transport meals from restaurants to riders, and riders then deliver them to customers. We aim to address two key issues when implementing this approach. First, at the operational level, models and algorithms are developed to effectively coordinate rider routing and drone scheduling. These algorithms are tailor‐made by leveraging the short routes in the meal delivery industry. Second, at the tactical planning level, we reveal managerial insights to aid meal delivery platforms in making informed decisions regarding the implementation of drone resupply solutions. Particularly, drone resupply proves to be more efficient than rider‐only mode across diverse order volumes and service ranges, and remains competitive when the promised delivery time is extended. The effectiveness of drone resupply is closely tied to the fleet configuration of riders and drones, as they have different yet complementary roles in achieving on‐time delivery. Additionally, restricting one single order per drone trip does not compromise the effectiveness of drone resupply delivery, but necessitates more demanding drone schedules.