This month at Seattle Tech: Does a startup’s pizza-making robot leave a bad taste?
- ByStartupStory | December 31, 2021
The hum of an impact oven isn’t the typical ambient noise of a tech headquarters with all the warmth of an Apple store. But in a sea of computers and black swivel chairs, software engineers at start-up Queen Anne Picnic would be happy to snag some noise-cancelling equipment if their tabletop stove helps prove it. the fertility of the golden hen: a seven-foot pizza machine.
On a recent visit, I saw workers putting freshly kneaded dough onto a robot conveyor belt. From separate compartments, the machine sprays cheese, sauces and toppings onto the dough in a neat, pre-programmed configuration. After 40 seconds, the cake will look like a decorated instant pizza. I was amazed at how well it came out of the adjacent oven. The fat is just enough, the crust is chewy, the sauce is not sick. My first bite was one of the longest cheeses I’ve ever had.
Making pizza, like any other dish, requires precision and consistency. But “food is rife with contradictions,” said Clayton Wood, Picnic’s CEO. Spreading, sprinkling, and arranging ingredients can go wrong, not to mention wasted food. “It was hard work.”
Join the Picnic Pizza System, which had up to 75 pizzas auto-correct in 45 minutes during testing and aims to hit 100 per hour on a consistent basis. Skiers who catch afternoon slices at Crystal Mountain this winter or at the Mariners games in 2019 may have accidentally tried the machine scones. And the partnership with Ethan Stowell Restaurants could help create cravings for the machines at more than just mass events.
This is not exactly another Mr. pizza distributor. Go. Picnic founder Garett Ochs conceived the idea in 2016 as a way to ease the burden on restaurateurs and employees in an industry that has always been underemployed. Recent pandemic restrictions and staff shortages have only increased the need for faster speeds and less training in the kitchen. But is Picnic’s pizzaiolo helping workers or is he just creating ghost kitchens?
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