Columbus, Ohio — Donatos Pizza plans to open its first fully autonomous pizza restaurant in June. Donatos and its sister company Agápe Automation partnered with Appetronix to bring the robot operated restaurant to life. The new fully automated restaurant will debut before security in front of Concourse B at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport and will be operated by restaurateur HMS Host. The new autonomous kitchen will deliver a fast and delicious made-to-order pizza for travelers.
“We’re not just adding tech to a restaurant; we’re jumping in with a fully autonomous restaurant. But, most importantly, we’re going to continue to serve great tasting abundantly topped pizzas and provide a top-notch customer experience that Donatos has always been known for,” says Kevin King, president and CEO of Donatos Pizza. “In a busy airport environment, where customers are most focused on catching their flights, we think the vending machine style location will be a huge success.”
The autonomous restaurant will operate 24/7, leveraging state-of-the-art robotics and data science technologies — enabling an efficient experience for customers on everything from placing orders to receiving their pizza. The robot also offers an engaging visual experience, allowing customers an inside look at their pizzas being freshly prepared in real time.
“Bringing this first-of-its-kind autonomous kitchen to life in collaboration with Donatos has been an extraordinary journey and marks a defining moment for the future of the restaurant industry,” says Nipun Sharma, co-founder and CEO of Appetronix. “With our state-of-the-art, AI-powered robotic technology, we’re delivering hot, fresh pizza with unprecedented precision and efficiency. This is more than innovation — it’s a transformative leap for the QSR space, setting a new standard for consistency, speed and customer satisfaction.”
According to Donatos, this restaurant will pave the way for more locations to deliver exceptional quality with greater accuracy and speed. This technology has the potential to transform food service in airports, hospitals, college campuses and industrial environments — anywhere a traditional kitchen may not be feasible.
Donatos Pizza, founded in 1963 in Columbus, Ohio, is a family-owned business known for its thin-crust pizzas with abundant toppings. Donatos and its franchise partners operate over 175 stores. Additionally, Donatos Pizza is served in nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants. For more information, visit www.donatosfranchise.com.
Appetronix Inc. (formerly SJW Robotics) is a foodtech company specializing in the development and design of autonomous robotic solutions for commercial restaurant kitchens. With an expert team with extensive experience in restaurant kitchen design, worldwide expansion of restaurant chains, advanced automation, robotics and data science, Appetronix is at the forefront of innovation in the foodservice industry. Its mission is to revolutionize the way restaurants operate. The autonomous robotic solutions holistically automate all back-of-house functions including portioning, cooking, plating and even cleaning.
SOURCE: Donatos Pizza