USA – Pizza Hut, the American pizza chain has partnered Toyota Motor Corp to unveil a robot-operated, mobile pizza factory with the ability to deliver oven-hot pizza wherever it goes.
Developed in the bed of a modified Toyota Tundra, the prototype will use automated technology to cook pies on-the-go in six to seven minutes, with a goal to cut delivery times.
It also allows the chain to expand its delivery area without the pizzas getting cold, according to a Bloomberg report.
“We’re bringing the oven closer to the consumer’s door; nobody is doing that,” said Pizza Hut’s chief customer and operations officer in the U.S., Nicolas Burquier.
“We are pretty obsessed with improving the customer experience.
The more we can get closer to their homes or the point of delivery, the better and hotter the product will be.”
The mobile pizza factory involves a truck and The Kitchen, whose components are all powered by a H2 fuel cell electric powertrain.
With the development, Pizza Hut will be able to Pizza Hut expand its delivery radius without compromising the quality of the pizza, allowing a broader base of customers to have oven-hot Pizza Hut pizza delivered to their doorstep.
Autonomous delivery
The move follows an earlier partnership between Pizza Hut and Toyota which looks to put the restaurant chain’s self-driving delivery trucks on the road by 2020.
It seeks to deliver personal pies via person-less transportation in a way that may involve auto brand’s autonomous driving platform to operate an e-Palette, a self-driving vehicle that looks like a toaster oven with wheels.
The car is part of a broader partnership called the ‘mobility service business alliance’ which brings together a variety of brands including Uber, Amazon, Didi and Mazda to develop new ways of delivering goods and services.
“We are constantly focused on evolving our processes and systems through improvements and innovations that allow our team members and drivers to better serve our customers,” added Nicolas Burquier.
“We are exploring next-generation solutions and automation to support and streamline our delivery business in the future.
The Tundra PIE Pro and our work with Toyota are only helping accelerate our commitment to transform both the team member and the customer experience at Pizza Hut.”
The chain is aiming to turn around its lagging delivery performance and reach customers beyond their sit-down destinations.
