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Robot pizza makers stumble as suppliers shut down and maintenance fades
One Seattle Moto Pizza operator said the system became basically useless after its supplier, Picnic, shut down in May, leaving him with $160,000 machines to sort out.
Robot pizza automation is facing repeated setbacks, with failures that have undermined confidence in the idea that restaurants can reliably hand off production to bots, according to BBC Business.
In Seattle, Moto Pizza had a pair of robots intended to handle steps like dough feeding, sauce and cheese modules, and pepperoni sprinkling. But the machines were rendered basically useless in May after their supplier, Picnic, abruptly shut down, and technical support evaporated at the same time, leaving the operator to question whether investing in pizza bots was worthwhile.
BBC Business reports that the broader robot pizza effort has seen multiple company exits, including Zume and Pazzi, along with other automation approaches such as Basil Street pizza vending machines. Analysts cited by the outlet said food preparation bots can be clumsy, while “humans are very efficient at making pizza,” adding to doubts about whether the concept will scale.
Despite the setbacks, Moto Pizza founder Lee Kindell said he remains interested in building full automation, including an order kiosk that would produce a fresh pizza. He is working on his own robot design and said he aims to have a fully operational version by the summer of 2027, though he declined details and noted he has no experience in robotics.