Robotic pizza makers stumble as startups falter and costs soar

Moto Pizza invested $160,000 in a pair of robotic stations from Picnic, but the supplier abruptly ended service in May, leaving the machines idle and prompting founder Lee Kindell to question the value of such partnerships. The incident adds to a litany of failed pizza-robot companies—including Zume, Pazzi and Basil Street—demonstrating that automating a seemingly simple food item proves more complex than anticipated. Bank of America senior analyst Sara Senatore points out frequent errors such as misplaced toppings, arguing that human staff are still more efficient and essential for customer interaction.

Kindell, who turned to automation after an elbow injury, is now building a square-pan, 3D-printer-inspired robot he hopes to perfect by mid-2027, despite lacking robotics experience. Meanwhile, Appetronix has installed a 24/7 pizza unit for Donatos at John Glenn Columbus International Airport and is experimenting with ultra-fast sauce dispensers and laser slicing to achieve a pizza per minute. The debate continues between tech-driven consistency and the artisanal, human-focused experience prized by many restaurateurs.