Ricardo Gaytan sees Manna Air Delivery drones in the sky from the window of his restaurant, Antojitos Mexicanos, every day. It’s been about two weeks since the Irish drone company expanded to the eastside to provide food delivery.
“When they said they were coming, it was novel because you don’t know how it’s going to function,” Gaytan said in Spanish. “But I’m excited because people want to experiment with this new thing that brings food to their house through the air.”
Two months after launching the city’s first drone hub on Cherry Street, Manna Air Delivery added new operational bases at the Shops at Alameda near 21st and Sheridan, south of Java Doughs, and Plaza Santa Cecilia at 2160 S. Garnett Road.
There are plans to add a third base in the parking lot east of Citi Trends at 11215 E. 31st St. Each drone hub services a radius between 1-2 miles.
Manna chose to expand into east Tulsa because it is rich in culture and in the different cuisines it offers, says Abbie de Vera, the company’s new community engagement manager.
“There’s so many small businesses, small family-run businesses here, which I believe Manna is going to be a great resource for them to connect them with their neighbors and customers,” de Vera said.
While Manna leaders are excited for its east Tulsa expansion, the company is still finding its customer base after two months operating on Cherry Street.
‘Finding its footing’ near Cherry Street
Mike Bausch, owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria, introduced 10-inch pizza boxes that could be delivered by a Manna drone when the company launched operations near his restaurant in August.
“People are into it, you know. We do a lot of sales as is — so it’s not like an earth-shattering amount — but it’s been good,” Bausch said. “We’re not (at) full ‘Back to the Future 2’ level, but it’s up there. The interest has been there and the responses have been positive.”
The volume of drone orders varies day-to-day, he says.
“We can get like 10 to 20 a day, then other days it’s like three, and then there’s a few days that they’re not operational,” Bausch said. “So, it’s just finding its footing … It’s very new.”
Sapori owner Al Hashemi says he was “expecting a lot more” drone orders than his Italian restaurant receives, calling them sporadic.
“The system is good. You know, I was the first one who tied in with them. I like their services,” Hashemi said. “Hopefully it will pick up for everyone.”
Mason Galle, co-owner of Parea Coffee, says his drive-thru receives anywhere from zero to three drone orders on a “slow day” and seven to 10 on a “faster day,” but he thinks business will pick up.
“I can’t imagine it would not, especially with the kind of promos they run — they make free delivery and stuff often,” he said. “I would think it would grow.”
Galle says Manna’s order system is “super convenient.”
“They come across the field, pick it up, take it back and hook it up,” he said. “It’s super convenient as far as that goes for the customer side of it.”
Jennifer Lopez, a manager at Roka, says she believes the Asian restaurant has received around three or four Manna orders a week. She believes some consumers might be apprehensive to try new technology.
“It’s something new, so not all the people want to experiment with that — how it works,” she said.
Bausch compared the apprehension some Tulsans have expressed toward drone delivery to other technological developments in the retail and restaurant space over the years.
“If you go back four years, people with like tap to pay were like, ‘What is that? No way. That is not going to work.’ You go back eight years: QR codes. ‘I don’t trust that. They’re just little dots. How is that going to work?’” he said. “There’s always going to be that. It’s just what gets over the barrier, and I think this in some iteration will.”
Bausch says Manna Air Delivery moving its operations and manufacturing to Tulsa is an example of the city being at the forefront of tech.
“Tulsa is an underdog city. Even when we’re on top, we still have an underdog spirit. That’s what I dig about this place the most,” he said. “And trying this out here — not like Austin or San Francisco — I also like, because it’s saying to the outward nation: ‘Hey, when it comes to being at the forefront, that’s what Tulsa’s about. Don’t sleep on Tulsa.’”
Optimism and skepticism meet in the eastside
It’s been nearly two weeks since Manna started in east Tulsa. Alejandro Garcia, executive director for the Tulsa Global District, said there will be an adjustment period as Manna and businesses learn more about the market and how the service works. His organization provides support to entrepreneurs and residents in the 21st and Garnett area, including Plaza Santa Cecilia.
“If that process demonstrates a clear mutual benefit for Manna, participating businesses, and consumers, then I would certainly welcome the possibility of expansion,” he said. “The priority should be ensuring that growth creates meaningful value for local businesses and the communities at the Global District.”
Some residents are skeptical of the arrival of drones. One community member told the Flyer it feels like they are trying to patrol the eastside.
Manna has no affiliation with the federal government or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, de Vera told the Flyer.
“As far as it comes to Manna, we don’t have any relationship with ICE. They’re doing their thing,” de Vera said. “So no.”
Safety and privacy are important to the company, she says. The aircrafts are equipped with a camera, but it only comes on when the trap door opens to ensure the food is delivered.
“You barely see it,” she said. “There’s no recording.”
She’s heard concerns about noise from the drones, but de Vera says they are less noisy than it sounds on a phone recording.
“I like to compare it to, at noon on Wednesdays, we have the tornado siren and we’ve learned to live with that,” she said. “And that’s much louder than our drones.”
Juan Carlos Barrios, founder and operator of Baga Sushi, is one of three businesses partnering with Manna on the eastside. He thought the service was innovative, he says, so it was a done deal when the company reached out. He says his customers are already making drone orders.
“I get excited. I would like to literally get out of my trailer (food truck) and look at the sky and see the orders,” Barrios said in Spanish.
This new technology brings more changes to the Plaza, which Gaytan says has been stagnant for some time.
“I’m still not connected, but I’m in the process of connecting with them,” he said of a future partnership with Manna. “It’s something I’d really like to do.”
This article was produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma.
Disclosure: Alejandro Garcia is a member of the Tulsa Flyer’s community advisory board. News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
