It may not be Columbus-style pizza or Cincinnati's well-known LaRosa's, but a California Pizza Kitchen pizza vending machine may soon be coming to an airport, hotel, or college campus near you.
The pizza chain recently announced plans to deploy up to 1,000 automated food kiosks nationwide over the next three years through a partnership with retail technology company T-ROC Global. The pizza vending-style machines are expected to appear in airports, hospitals and other high-traffic locations.
California Pizza Kitchen has already tested the kiosks at several airports, including Dayton International Airport, and plans to install another 15 at universities later this year.
Here's what we know.
How the California Pizza Kitchen kiosks work
California Pizza Kitchen says the kiosks use TurboChef ovens
and touchscreen ordering systems to prepare pizzas in as little as 90 seconds.
The company says T-ROC will handle deployment, maintenance, replenishment and logistics through its warehouses and technicians.
According to the company, the rollout will initially focus on clusters of at least 20 kiosks in 30 major U.S. markets.
Where will California Pizza Kitchen install pizza vending machines?
According to the release, the kiosks are designed for places where traditional restaurants may not be practical.
Planned locations include:
- Airports
- Colleges and universities
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Office buildings
- Residential communities
- EV charging stations
- Sports venues
The kiosks will sell more than pizza
In addition to pizza, the kiosks are expected to sell Kung Pao Spaghetti, Bolognese Spaghetti, several mac-and-cheese varieties and California Pizza Kitchen's Butter Cake.
How many California Pizza Kitchen locations are in Ohio?
Ohio has one California Pizza Kitchen location, at 1500 Polaris Parkway in Columbus, according to the company's online directory.
The Buckeye State currently has just one California Pizza Kitchen restaurant, but the company's expansion plans could bring its pizza vending machines to airports, colleges and other high-traffic locations throughout the state.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California Pizza Kitchen vending machines make meals in under 2 minutes
