Xrobotics countertop robot cooks 25,000 pizzas a month

Xrobotics I think the code to get a pizza restaurant to employ robotics has been solved.

The San Francisco-based robotics company has built a countertop robot called the Xpizza Cube. This is the size of a stackable washing machine, and uses machine learning to apply sauce, cheese and pepperonis to the pizza dough. For three years, the machine leases for $1,300 a month, constitutes up to 100 pizzas per hour and is renovated to operate pies of various sizes and styles, such as Detroit and Chicago Deep Dish.

“This saves almost 70 people, and sometimes 80% of the time for staff,” Xrobotics co-founder and CEO Denis Rodionov told TechCrunch. “It’s just a reproducible task. If you have a pepperoni pizza, you’ll need to place 50 slices of pepperoni one at a time.”

Xrobotics is not the only company that has tried to introduce robotics into the restaurant industry, nor is it the only company that focuses on pizza.

Zume is the most notable pizza robot company. If it is considered a unique category. The company pivoted to focus on sustainable packaging in 2020, raising more than $420 million in venture capital for its robotic pizza truck before closing it completely in 2023.

Rodionoff argues that he hasn’t succeeded because other companies are not trying to completely change the pizza making process.

In contrast to exchange technology, they are building assistive technology, which Robinov said they were able to maintain the device enough to fit into their existing kitchens, enriching the prices of pizzerias, from mommy and pop shops to big chains.

The company found this the hard way. The company launched in 2019 and introduced First version of 2021 technology. Xrobotics’ first robot was significantly larger, working with over 20 toppings, and could encounter the same problems as its competitors.

“We were a real pilot in a restaurant with a huge machine,” Rodionoff said. “We learned a lot from it and found out we needed a very small and compact solution. It was a bit scary. All numbers, all emotions, all guts said you need to do this. this. And we followed the gut and said, “Yeah, we’re going and going to make a small version.” It was a huge success. ”

Xrobotics launched its current model in 2023. The company refused to share the number of customers. The company said the robot produces 25,000 pizzas a month, but it’s a number of customers that are difficult to calculate.

The startup also recently attracted a $2.5 million seed round led by Finsight Ventures with participation from SOSV, Mana Ventures and Republic Capital. Rodionov said the company will use capital to produce more units and install more robots for its customers.

Xrobotics is working on the pizza industry for at least now, Rodionoff said, taking into account the size of the market. 73,000 pizza chains in the US alone. The company will next expand to Mexico and Canada.

“I love pizza, which is also a co-founder,” Rodionoff said. “We probably tested pizza in San Francisco, and we also tested pizza in New York and Chicago,” Rodionoff added that Detroit-style pizza, known for its square and crispy cheese crust, is his favorite.