Drones and Mistletoe: What Could Go Wrong?

According to legend, Alan Stillman had one goal in mind when he founded T.G.I. Friday's, the neighborhood casual franchise that now boasts nearly a thousand outposts. "It seemed to me that the best way to meet girls was to open up a bar," Stillman said in 2010.

Nearly 50 years later, Stillman may have moved on from stewarding the T.G.I. Friday's empire, but the empire hasn't lost its sense of romance. According to the company, it is introducing something new for the holidays at one of its locations in the United Kingdom: The #Togethermas Mistletoe Drone.

As Popular Science reports, it's an in-restaurant DJI Phantom drone that, while "dangling tendrils of mistletoe," flies above a cozy couple and encourages them to make out a little bit. "The drones camera records the moment. The overlords at corporate are pleased."

Earlier today, American drones launched a landmark 500th strike, a reminder of the old way the technology has been used. For contrast, earlier this week, we reported on the ways that a biodegradable drone could potentially protect the ecosystem, highlighting a rare positive connotation. The Mistletoe Drone zooms right within the airspace between controversy and good intention.

T.G.I. Friday's rationale for the drone is a poll that says that half of United Kingdom residents have never kissed under mistletoe. British repression may be one of those moth-eaten myths, but as company spokeswoman Rachel Wallertold the Manchester Evening News, if the store can help potential lovers boozily find their nerve, everybody wins.

We’re known for legendary celebrations at Fridays, so we wanted to see how we could make Christmas get-togethers in our restaurants even more entertaining, and offer guests the encouragement they need to make their move.

Here is the commercial for the drone program that could launch a thousand loves (or apologies):

Looks incredible. My only gripe is the #togethermas branding. "From Endless Apps to Endless Love" is the best of all worlds.

(Image via aida ricciardiello/Shutterstock.com)