News

Italian company unveils pizza vending machine

May 26, 2003

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LONDON -- Europeans' cravings for pizza can now be satisfied 24 hours a day, thanks to a new pizza vending machine.

According to the Daily Post, the machine, made by Italian manufacturer Wonder Pizza, may become a common fixture in railway stations, pubs, offices and even schools throughout Europe. It will be distributed in the UK by Vending Associates.

A working model was unveiled at the recent AVEX national vending exhibition in Earl`s Court, London.

Indianapolis-based Noble Roman's Pizza unveiled a pizza vending machine last year (see "A Slice of Convenience"). It's unclear whether the machine has been a successful venture for the company, though it continues to expand its c-store system.

Francesco Vito Auriemma, director of Vending Associates, said that his company's machine makes high-quality pizza.

"Whereas other machines cooked the pizzas from frozen, they will now be made from fresh dough stored inside," Auriemma told the Post. "It serves five varieties of nine-inch pizza made with fresh Italian ingredients. All the ingredients have a shelf life of more than a month."

The pizza unit has two parts: a refrigerator and an infra-red oven. It can store up to 102 pizzas served on cardboard trays.

Ingredient supply levels can be tracked by software, which automatically orders more when they run low.

Auriemma dismissed claims that machine-cooked pizza can never be as good as the real thing.

"I come from Naples, the home of pizza, and I wouldn't get involved in this unless the pizza was good enough," he said. "Even my family, who still live in Italy, think it is a great idea."

But Phil Millar, who attended AVEX on behalf of the Baltic Fleet Pub in Liverpool, said he didn't think the machine would interest his customers.

"We are not really a pizza sort of pub," Millar told the Post. "We have a very good evening menu and a machine like this would only take away from our quality. However, I could see it working in a younger bar which doesn't already serve food."