The first of three 24/7 automated pizza vending machines is open in Buckhead, with a grand opening event planned for this weekend.
Located at 3861 Roswell Road in Buckhead in the parking lot of gas station and gourmet market UPop, PizzaForno will host an event from noon-4 p.m. May 6 with free pizza, live music, games including a pizza box-folding contest and giveaways like a drawing for two people to win free pizza for a year.
Two more metro Atlanta PizzaForno locations are slated to debut later this month, with an additional three set to open by the end of the year and plans for 50 units total.
PizzaForno pies are ordered via a digital screen, with options including meat lovers, four cheese blend, Hawaiian and pepperoni (a breakfast pizza option will be added this summer).
Once a selection is made, a robotic arm moves the pizza to an oven, where they’re baked for about three minutes. There’s also a “take and bake” option for customers to heat their pizza at home.
The artisan-style pies are made off-site, and refrigerated trucks restock machines with inventory according to what people are purchasing in each area.
Once a pizza is inserted into the machine, it is given a ‘sell by’ date for three days later; older pizzas are removed once they’ve passed their three-day shelf life.
Any pizzas not sold within 72 hours will be donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, according to Jason Lowder, chief marketing officer for PizzaForno.
Lowder said the company is also committed to giving back to communities with PizzaForno unites via its Pizza With a Purpose program. In Atlanta, a percentage of sales on Tuesdays will be donated to a local elementary school and on Wednesdays to local nonprofit Giving Kitchen.
Will Moyer and his business partner Les Tomlin started PizzaForno in Canada in 2018 after first seeing the automated pizza technology in France in 2017. The first U.S. location opened in Michigan in 2021, with 19 operational across the country, in addition to 46 units in Canada and more than 2,000 across Europe.
Tyler Young, Paul Nair and Mick Patel partnered to bring PizzaForno to Atlanta. Nair is the founder and owner of UPop as well as local gourmet grocery chain Savi Provisions, while Patel serves as the director of business development and franchise owner for Savi Provisions. The trio was always interested in technology and innovation in the restaurant space and was immediately drawn to PizzaForno.
Young said PizzaForno was appealing in large part because it eliminates the need to find and train staff.
Lowder said Young, Nair and Patel are currently scouting areas for more outdoor PizzaForno units (the concept also has ATM-style and indoor units, though Lowder said the outdoor, standalone style is the most popular).
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