Pazzi Review: First Fully Robotic Pizzeria

Located in Stamford Connecticut, Pazzi Pizzeria has coined itself as the first restaurant with a fully automated staff. Not only is automation used for ordering pizza, but it is also used for creating the entire pizza itself through robotic arms and other devices. “In 10 years, there won’t be too many humans working in fast-food restaurants”, says Pazzi CEO Philippe Goldman. “It is a toxic low-paying industry”. Reporter James Ware describes his experience at this automated pizzeria with Business Insider:

First, Ware confirms that the pizzeria was, indeed, fully robotic with the only human being the electricians, ensuring the process ran smoothly. “I placed my order on a touch screen, familiar to anyone who’s ordered at a fast-food chain”, explains Ware. “I customized my choice, a €9.50 Garden Pazzi pizza. So far, so fast food. But the moment I collected the receipt, the spectacle kicked off in the kitchen”.

Ware then describes the pizza-making process as conducted fully by robotic arms: “A ball of fresh dough was fed out of a hatch and scooped up eagerly by one of the arms. It laid this down on what looked like a bed of nails on the counter at the back of the kitchen. The column above it then squashed downward, as this platform dipped down, to compress the dough just the right amount. Meanwhile, another one of the robot’s arms fitted with a glinting silver cup of tomato puree deposited its contents in the pizza’s center, spreading these with several vigorous clockwise strokes”.

Ware even notes that the machine then cleansed the area after the pizza was completed by taking a sponge and scrubbing the plate and counter until both were “spotless”. All the while, the pizza is heating in the oven. Statistics show that the pizza was created very quickly at an average of “one pizza every 45 seconds [not including the time taken to heat up the pizza]”, according to Goldman.

Finally, the arms sliced the pizza evenly into six slices before closing the box and sending it to Ware. A screen lit up, informing Ware of the pizza’s completion. After scanning his QR code the door automatically opened and out came his food from under the doors. The robotic arms completed the order with high-fives and fist bumps before completing other orders. “I felt like I just watched some alien artifact”, concludes Ware.

Ware then found an empty table and began to describe the taste of the pizza. At first bite, I was struck by the richness of the flavors and the definition of the dough. The spicy cheese sizzled in my mouth and the peppers, olives, and drizzling chili oil was layered perfectly. Very refined, especially for a meal-on-the-go. I would highly recommend”.

While technology can be detrimental and difficult to trust, it is certainly making an impact in pizzerias and other restaurants. Fortunately, Goldman reports that no issues had been reported yet and reassures customers that “we’re always checking on the automation”. Technology in restaurants began with machines ordering food and then to robotic delivery services. However, a fully robotic restaurants is completely foreign to the world (though it may not be in the near future.) Buckle up, everybody, an AI Takeover is just around the corner!