Operations

Picnic Works, ContekPro team up on automated pizza kitchen

Provided

November 2, 2022

Picnic Works, which makes kitchen automation technology, is partnering with ContekPro, which makes modular kitchens, to build factory-built pizza kitchens for commercial foodservice providers.

The two startups aim to create a faster, hassle-free kitchen environment that will be more cost-efficient than brick and mortar, according to a press release.

The factory-assembled kitchens will feature energy-saving modular construction techniques and allow operators to customize based on needs. ContekPro will manufacture kitchens with an integrated Picnic Pizza Station that uses robotic automation to assemble up to 100 pizzas per hour with just one member of the kitchen's staff.

"Kitchen innovation can help increase profits, reduce waste and operating costs, and improve guest satisfaction," Scott Erickson, CMO of Picnic, said in the press release. "Combining the quickly built modular kitchens with the Picnic Pizza Station, a new restaurant can be opened 50% faster than before. This means ghost kitchens, sports and event venues, and QSRs can be up and running in record time and saving money from day one."

The news comes on the heels of PicnicWorks teaming up with Minnow Technologies, a startup that has developed the Pickup Pod, a self-service pickup solution for foodservice operators.

"ContekPro provides an alternative to traditional brick and mortar kitchens. The foodservice industry is changing, customer demands are evolving, and we entered a new construction era after the pandemic. We manufacture turnkey products that embrace modern operators and offer cost-effective and environmentally-sound options," Reda Attahri, co-founder of ContekPro, said in the release. "The partnership with Picnic is a way to offer ready-to-use, end-to-end, high quality pizza concepts to ghost kitchens, stadiums, QSRs, amusement centers or any location where speed to market, scalability and profitability are important."

The Picnic Pizza Station assembles pizzas autonomously and is customizable for each order — after a cook loads the dough, the Picnic station takes care of applying the sauce, cheese, fresh-cut pepperoni and additional toppings. The finished pizzas can then move into the kitchen's ovens for cooking. Each hour, the Picnic station can assemble up to 100 pizzas with 80% less food waste than traditional makelines.