AI Pizza Robots Bring Automation Into Restaurant Kitchens

Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving from computer screens into real-world kitchens, and a London, Ontario company is showing how quickly that shift is happening. Appetronix, an automation company focused on robotic food service, has developed a fully autonomous pizza-making machine that uses AI-driven dispensing technology to prepare fresh meals in places where traditional kitchens may not be practical. The company’s goal is to bring hot, made-to-order food into locations such as universities, office towers, airports, hospitals, and entertainment venues.

The machine can currently make pepperoni or cheese pizza in about six and a half minutes. Customers place an order, watch the pizza being made, and then receive a four-digit code on their phone to open a locker and pick up their meal. While one machine is housed in a London warehouse, the first customer-facing unit is located at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, where both passengers and airport staff can use it. Engineers at Appetronix say developing a fully self-operating food machine takes repeated testing, rebuilding, and problem solving before it is ready for public use.

Appetronix is now expanding beyond pizza through its acquisition of Cibotica, a Vancouver-based food robotics company. Cibotica was founded in 2021 and developed an automated bowl and salad assembly system called Remy, along with a patented ingredient dispensing platform. The deal, which closed in late March and was announced in late April, was an asset acquisition, with financial terms not disclosed. Appetronix says the acquisition will help it expand its technology stack and move faster into new cuisine formats, including Mexican bowls, Asian stir fry robots, and robot-run cafes.

The acquisition also reflects a larger trend in the restaurant industry, where AI and robotics are being explored for everything from food preparation to ordering, reservations, inventory management, marketing, and staff scheduling. The global restaurant industry contributes more than $4 trillion to the economy and employs tens of millions of people, making it a major target for automation. A Deloitte survey of restaurant executives found that eight out of ten planned to increase investment in AI, with many already using it for customer experience and inventory management. Restaurants are also using chatbots, machine learning, and natural language processing to help with online orders, reservations, and customer service.

However, AI in restaurants has not been without problems. McDonald’s ended a long-running AI drive-thru ordering trial with IBM after publicized errors, including incorrect and unusual food orders. Taco Bell also reviewed its AI ordering systems after issues such as misunderstandings and an order involving 18,000 water cups. Other restaurants have faced AI-generated mistakes, including false promotions appearing in Google search results and ordering systems charging customers wildly incorrect amounts. These examples show that while AI can improve efficiency, it still requires strong oversight, risk management, and proper integration with existing systems.

Despite these challenges, the business case for restaurant automation continues to grow. Robots can offer consistency, speed, and precision, especially in repetitive kitchen tasks. The food robotics market is already significant, with thousands of robots being used in U.S. restaurants and strong growth expected in the years ahead due to labour shortages, food safety demands, and the need for efficiency. Appetronix has raised more than $12 million USD in seed funding and works with Donatos, a mid-sized U.S. pizza chain. With its Cibotica acquisition, Appetronix is positioning itself as part of a new generation of companies trying to make robotic kitchens more practical, flexible, and widely available.

Works Cited

Stallone, Lauren. “London-Based Company Using AI Pizza Machine to Serve up Fresh Slices.” CTV News, 29 Apr. 2026, www.ctvnews.ca/london/article/london-based-company-using-ai-pizza-machine-to-serve-up-fresh-slices/. 

“AI in The Restaurant Industry.” The Information Difference, 4 Apr. 2026, www.informationdifference.com/ai-in-the-restaurant-industry/. 

Scott, Josh. “Appetronix Cooks up Bigger Robotic Kitchen Ambitions with Cibotica Acquisition.” BetaKit, 28 Apr. 2026, www.betakit.com/appetronix-cooks-up-bigger-robotic-kitchen-ambitions-with-cibotica-acquisition/. 

Statt, Nick. “Zume’s Robot Pizzeria Could Be the Future of Workplace Automation.” The Verge, 28 June 2017, www.theverge.com/2017/6/28/15882852/zume-pizza-doughboy-robot-automation-future-food-delivery. 

Widman Neese, Alissa. “Robots Made Me Donatos Pizza and It Tasted Great.” Axios Columbus, 23 June 2025, www.axios.com/local/columbus/2025/06/23/donatos-robot-pizza-john-glenn-airport.