Robotic Pizza Makers Face Repeated Failures
Companies trying to automate pizza making have failed. Experts say the technology is difficult and human interaction remains vital in food service.
The pizza robot business is littered with failed companies and overcooked promises. Bank of America senior restaurants analyst Sara Senatore states that success stories have not materialized as some predicted, noting that humans remain very efficient at making pizza.
Lee Kindell, founder of Moto Pizza in Seattle, was left with two $160,000 pizza-making robots that became useless when their supplier, Picnic, abruptly shut down in May. Technical support vanished instantly. Kindell is now unsure if he wants to enter another such partnership, but remains surprisingly undeterred by the failure.
The Challenge of Automation
Despite fast food seeming an easy target for automation, it has proven harder than many expected. Senatore explains that food preparation robots can be clumsy, sometimes dropping ingredients in the wrong places. Beyond technical hurdles, introducing robots raises questions about replacing entry-level hospitality jobs. However, Kindell claims that even fully autonomous robots would not threaten workers. At T-Mobile Park, using Picnic's robots reduced the number of staff needed to make pizza from ten to two, but the other eight were redeployed to customer interaction and advertising roles.
New Efforts and Old Divides
Despite past failures, new efforts continue. Kindell, who has no experience in robotics, is developing his own machine inspired by 3D printers to make square pan-style pies, aiming for a fully operational version by summer 2027. He believes failed companies have generated useful data and that it is only a matter of time before someone succeeds. Meanwhile, Canadian firm Appetronix is working on faster technology for the Donatos chain, aiming to produce a pizza every minute. They are investigating methods to deposit sauce in 1.5 seconds instead of 9.5, and even exploring lasers and ultrasound for slicing.
The divide between chains seeking repeatable consistency and artisanal shops emphasizing human experience predates robotics. Paul Giannone, owner of Paulie Gee's, vowed five years ago to never use a robot and says that is still the case, prioritizing personal customer service. Senatore warns that removing people is a risky proposition, potentially losing the human touch and frustrating customers if machines fail with no one to intervene.
Lasting Influence and Future Bets
Failed companies continue to influence the sector. The intellectual property of defunct firm Zume, comprising over 300 patents, was bought by California's Miso Robotics. Miso's CEO, Rich Hull, calls Zume's vision brilliant but says they were too early, as customers were not ready for robot-made pizza. Miso, which already makes a fry-cooking bot called Flippy, may use the Zume patents to expand Flippy's capabilities.
The natural cut-and-thrust of the fast food pizza business looks set to continue. Lee Kindell remains set on his goal. There is no doubt in his mind that a fully autonomous pizza robot will exist. The only question, he says, is who will do it first.
