New pizza vending machine for UVU
Reading Time: 2 minutes There is a new, strange-looking box on the LA concourse. It offers hot pizzas for students at UVU without the need for human interaction.
A pizza vending machine? That sounds like a bizarre contraption—but UVU just got one for its campus. The larger-than-normal machine is available for pizza in the LA concourse 24/7, even though the school is not open all day.
In one of his classes, Dr. John Goshert, had a student claim that it was not true pizza because it was “not made with love.” According to that logic, most pizza chains’ pizza is also not pizza. It is certainly strange to have a machine about the size of three vending machines pop out a warm pizza with absolutely no human interaction, and it makes one wonder whether quality is a priority. It feels surreal, and perhaps unnatural.
The pizza is nothing incredibly unique. The machine offers several classic pizza flavors, all eight inches in size. The crust is quite soft, as it is not cooked on a pizza stone, but rather is cooked on cardboard then placed inside a box. This pizza can provide multiple servings, so it is fun to share with friends, but awkward to carry around if you do not finish all of it.
The pizza in the machine is not actually made by the machine but is cooked by it. The dough is delivered routinely by PizzaForno’s employees. They have strict rotations to ensure that the hand-made pizza does not get old. According to PizzaForno, “Once a pizza is inserted into the machine, it is given a ‘sell by’ date for three days later. After that date, the pizza will no longer be purchasable by customers. PizzaForno automated pizzerias are regularly stocked, and older pizzas are removed once they’ve passed their three day shelf life.”
Whether or not this pizza was made with love, it is a good option for a cheap meal between friends, currently priced at around $13 per pizza. For one person, it is a more calorie-dense meal for the same price as a meal from other options on campus, while having slightly less nutritional density.
The novelty of an unusual pizza is not to be underestimated either. Having a warm, well-sized pizza from a machine is not an experience to be underrated, even if you just try it once.