Technology

Pizza vending off to a rough start in Houston

Photo: PizzaForno

March 25, 2026

Summarize with

PizzaForno, a Canadian company known for its automated pizza vending machines, announced ambitious plans in 2022 to expand across Texas. The concept centered on fully automated kiosks capable of preparing a ready-to-eat pizza in under five minutes. Houston was expected to host about a dozen machines initially, with up to 50 additional locations possible under a development agreement.

Despite those ambitious plans, the rollout has largely failed to materialize, according to a Houston Chronicle report.

Of the six locations once operating in the Houston area, only one machine remains operational today. The only other functioning PizzaForno machine in Texas is in the city of New Braunfel, northwest of San Antonio. The company has not publicly explained the closures, according to the news outlet.

Reviews on platforms such as Reddit, Yelp and Google suggest mixed reactions to the product, with pizzas typically priced between $10 and $13. Some customers described the pizzas as acceptable for a vending machine, while others felt the quality did not justify the price.