Pizza brands show interest in robotic pizza maker Picnic as Seattle startup raises more cash

A pizza built from a picnic pizza system. (GeekWire file photo)

Seattle-based food automation startup Picnic added an additional $ 4.2 million in funding to a Series A round that previously raised $ 16.3 million, the company’s CEO announced this week.

Clayton Wood said in a LinkedIn post that the money will be used to grow and expand Picnic’s team of experts and commercial activities.

The food automation company has perfected its pizza-making robot called the Picnic Pizza System and has sparked interest and new partnerships with Orion Land Mark, Seattle’s Ethan Stowell Restaurants, National Service Cooperative, and Baseline Hardware.

Wood told GeekWire that Picnic is in a late-night conversation with a wide variety of customers interested in a differentiated and customizable kitchen solution.

“We were very busy working on system improvements in 2021 and we’re very excited about our progress,” said Wood. “We continue to receive incredible endorsements from the food service industry, media and customers around the world. We are preparing today for installation at additional customers and have several unannounced relationships with major pizza brands that we would like to share in 2021. “

The Picnic Pizza System is a pizza assembly machine on which a single employee can produce up to 100 bespoke 12-inch pizzas per hour. Fresh ingredients are spread over the hand-made dough and the recipe can be customized for the restaurant, commercial kitchen or the owner of the machine.

“Making pizza has always been a difficult job to keep workers on,” Wood previously told GeekWire. “It’s a very high turnover, a difficult task to be done well, a difficult task to be done in a hurry. Our system really thrives here. “

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wood said food service is being rethought and kitchens are still trying to figure out delivery and work.

“We have advised operators on how technology solutions can solve many of their challenges,” said Wood. Our solutions enable pizza companies to optimize their needs and offer a solution with a small footprint, contactless pizza preparation, easy installation and no upfront fees. “

Some of the new funding will be used to attract and retain new talent as Picnic continues to grow.