Pizza ATM Debuts on Ohio State University Campus
The vending machine cooks 10-inch pizzas in three minutes.
Jan 17, 2019
COLUMBUS – Ohio State University students can now order a hot pizza with as much as ease as using an ATM, The Lantern reports. The pizza ATM, located in a dining hall, dispenses freshly cooked 10-inch pies in three minutes.
The university wanted to provide a late-night dining option to students. “My ultimate goal when I started begging for this machine was really to be able to provide late night services for this west campus population,” said Abby Hertzfeld, associate director of operations for Student Life Dining Services. “It’s the first step into really piloting that whole program of students accessing a space, selecting their options and self-checking out.”
The pizza vending machine holds around 70 pies, and users can choose between pepperoni or cheese. Students can purchase a pizza with their university ID, meal plan or credit cards. Hertzfeld wants to add more topping options soon, as well as increase the pizza ATM’s hours of operation to 24 hours by next semester.
“This is a really a way for us to provide a hot option and other options for students that are over on this side of campus that don’t live on the north area or south area that have other late-night operations that really isn’t going to incur a bunch of additional labor costs on top of providing the services,” she said.
Case Western and Xavier University also have pizza ATMs. Over in Europe, 500 pizza vending machines are in operation, mostly in France.
