Pizza vending machines are a hit

• In full development, pizza distributors are estimated to be around 2,500 in France.

• In a few minutes, you can leave with a very hot "4 cheeses", at any time of the day or night.

If you were looking for a checkered tablecloth atmosphere and Sicilian songs, this is not the place. For the past year, a big blue and pink machine has been distributing pizzas in the parking lot of a supermarket in Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire, near Nantes. In a few minutes, and for less than 10 euros, you can leave with a very hot "4 cheeses" or to cook at home, at any time of the day or night. "The choice is made on the screen, among the 19 available varieties," explains Philippe Marzin, the manager of Pizzas and co. The robot inside takes care of the rest: it goes to look for the right product in the cold room at the back, takes it out of its box and places it in one of the two ovens heated to 320 degrees ... top of the top of the machine, we can even ask him to reserve his favorite in advance! "

For several years, these funny vending machines have been growing everywhere in France like mushrooms on a Queen.

With the health crisis, the year 2021 has also broken all records with a number of equipment, always more sophisticated, which today would approach 2,500 in France, sometimes replacing the traditional trucks, or even some restaurants.

Market leader, manufacturer Adial is showing 100% growth and installed no less than 70 machines in December, mainly in rural or peri-urban areas, still devoid of home delivery services.

The movement is not expected to stop in 2022.

"Not frozen"

"The majority are restaurateurs or pizza makers who were looking for solutions to develop," observes Ludovic Lorillard, sales director of this Norman company of 150 employees. They install one, and it works so well that they continue and go up to three, four, or even more… There is even already competition in some municipalities! Because among young people who come home from the evening, workers with staggered schedules, or quite simply families who do not want to bother cooking (should we remember that the French are among the biggest pizza eaters in the world?) , the demand is there. According to Adial, a distributor would sell 25 per day, on average.

In Sainte-Luce, where we preferred to invest 60,000 euros in a machine rather than assume the rent and charges for a second store, this figure is for the moment still slightly lower, but we still have good hope to pay for the device in three years.

There are still some misconceptions to be removed.

“Of course, you can't compete with a wood-fired oven, but it's not frozen, not low-end, insists Philippe Marzin.

As proof, these are the same pizzas that we make and sell at the Carquefou store, a few kilometers from here.

»And with a rather crispy dough, at least for the one that

tasted.

"Free yourself from clichés"

In the Val-d'Oise, Thierry Graffagnino no longer has to convince. This triple world pizza champion, himself at the head of two vending machines for several years, seems to make everyone agree, especially with his sweet pizzas with Limoncello cream or Syracuse orange, made in its central kitchen. Whatever the means of selling them, the important thing is what you put in them, believes the one who is now dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs, more and more likely to get into the world of Margherita.

"Restaurant owners can no longer find staff, people only have half an hour to eat at noon, pizza also has the right to evolve and to free itself from its clichés", launches the one who has just finished. install Pazzi, the first pizza maker in Paris.

“We will soon see them everywhere, in amusement parks, airports… promises Thierry Graffagnino.

He is able to pull out 1,200 pizzas on his own in a day.

»Without anchovies, please.

Paris

Paris: The best pizza in Europe is in the 20th arrondissement

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• Gastronomy

• Pizza

• Consumption

• Society

• Nantes

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