To make it easier for students to grab a slice of everyone's favorite college staple, French company Paline is installing its first Pizza ATM in the US at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, in time for the upcoming semester. Available 24/7, customers use a touch screen to select toppings, pay their US$9, and wait three minutes for a boxed, 12-inch pie to slide out the slot.
Similar to the Let's Pizza machines, the Pizza ATM is stocked with prepared pizzas, including a precooked base and added toppings, which are stored in boxes at 37.5° F (3° C). The machine then selects the ordered pizza and places it in front of the oven. A mechanism lifts the lid of the box, pushes both into the convection oven, and lifts the pizza out of the box where it cooks in 3 minutes at 500° F (260° C).
Once cooked, the pizza is then placed back in the box and dispensed to the customer. An onboard computer manages the cold storage and the pizza expiration dates, as well as the cooking times, browning and oven temperature. The machine holds up to 70 pies, which may need to be restocked often depending on other late-night campus dining options.
If the machine malfunctions or is running low on stock, it sends an alert to the owner's phone. The owner also has control over the menu and pricing, changing them according to demand. Although pizza vending machines have been dishing out pizzas in Europe for over a decade, Paline says this is the first time a pizza vending machine has been installed in North America.
If you want a Pizza ATM for your personal use, it'll set you back $55,000.
Source: Paline