Izakaya ran a drone delivery trial from its Gulshan 2 outlet, sending meals to rooftops in the Gulshan-Banani area, and the experiment showed clear promise along with real challenges for drone food delivery in Dhaka. The idea grew from a simple need: delivery apps charge high fees and road traffic makes bike deliveries slow, so the restaurant’s managing director Rayana Hossain wanted to test a new last-mile option. The team planned the flights carefully and packed meals into special boxes that a drone could carry. Because Dhaka streets have tangled cables, crowds and heavy traffic, the crew chose rooftops as the only safe places to drop meals. Customers had to wait on their rooftops to receive the order, open the box and close the drone before it flew back. The trial was offered free so the team could learn about the logistics, and organizers watched how batteries, navigation, weight of food and the human steps of prepping and receiving affected the whole process. The test showed useful things: drones can reach a rooftop faster than a bike can reach a street address at peak hours, and using flight paths cuts time and road fuel use. People who watched the trial said they felt curious and excited, and some local staff learned new skills in loading and guiding the drones. Still, the team found several hurdles to address before a service could scale. Drones cannot land safely on crowded streets, permissions and clear rules are not yet in place, and there is a risk of people tampering with a drone if it hangs low above a building. Cost questions remain too: battery charging, maintenance and trained crew all add to the price, so Izakaya may need minimum order values or other rules to make service viable. The operation is paused now while the team studies data and feedback, but the experiment points to a careful path forward. Hossain noted that Bangladesh adopted mobile payments fast and that new services can spread quickly when they solve real problems. With more testing, simple safety rules and city support for rooftop drops, drone delivery could become one tool among many to solve last-mile problems in Dhaka. For restaurants, a safe and steady drone option might cut some delivery costs and give customers a faster choice. For city shoppers, it could mean hot food on time without more traffic on the road. The trial did not answer everything, yet it showed that with smart planning and clear rules, the sky could become a useful lane for city deliveries in the future. Local testing, clear training, and fair pricing could help build trust and make drone delivery a safe service for many people and steady jobs.
