The new era of foodservice and vending is here! We’ve come a long way from waiting in line to order a meal and waited even longer for it to be ready. We’ve also come a long way from when we used to suit our food cravings with just pop and candy bars from a coin machine. We now expect pretty much anything and everything to be dispensed to us with just a tap of a card. The reality is that the market is ripe for unattended vending cashless payment systems, as the cashless retail segment is already taking over. The global contactless payment terminals market is expected to grow to USD $40.58 billion by the end of 2024, which marks a significant jump from USD $10.51 billion in 2018, according to Research and Markets. Canadians, who comprise the leading cashless society in the world, have a habit of paying with their credit cards at every opportunity and for their every need, so much so that not providing a cashless payment system option for a business is simply not an option. There is no doubt that there are many benefits of a cashless payment system. Most people would be naturally curious about sophisticated vending machines. But, when one serves you 24/7, hot, fresh, artisan pizza in less than 3 minutes, after completing an easy-to-use touch-screen order, paid by a simple tap of a card or mobile device, people get swept off their feet!
In partnership with MONEXgroup, PizzaForno is disrupting the foodservice industry, as their innovative unattended “pizza-from-a-wall” revolution keeps conquering Canada. It’s the first of its kind in North America! We will talk about this fascinating automation process next.
Breaking News
There is no doubt that PizzaForno is sparking up intrigue asnews outlet after news outlet keep reporting about robotic arms servingdelicious pizzas through walls, kiosks, and small container boxes in just three minutes. Popularbloggers, vloggers and social media influencers have also jumped on board totest things out for themselves and see if this pizza really is fresh, if it’sreally as delicious as reported, and if it’s really baked in an oven and not microwaved.They wanted to investigate if it’s truly that easy to order, and served as quickly as promised. The delight of this adored traditionalItalian dish, arguably the world’s most favourite pie, being baked and servedby a machine, is overwhelming the tasters, and the buzz about it is overflowingthe internet. And since restaurants and other eateries have a closing time, thefact that PizzaForno pizzas are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, isanother appealing aspect, especially for those looking for a hot meal in the weehours of the night. (Think hungry mood after the bar or club!)
It’s the unattended business model featuring the vendingcashless payment system that’s coming to the rescue of all the growling tummiesout there!
Made by Hand, Powered by Technology
It is all true. Ease of ordering. Simplicity of paying. Speed in which you receive your hot, fresh, artisanal pizza. The delicious taste. All of it. All has been confirmed over and over again, and this new disruptive pizza concept, with its vending cashless payment system, continues to pop up across Ontario with expansion plans far beyond its provincial borders. The formula that creates this magic combines handmade pizzas using all-natural ingredients with highly advanced technology. It looks like a wall or shipping container box, but hidden inside is this state-of-the-art vending machine which contains both the cold room and heat oven, while its touch-screen ordering system fully integrates with MONEXgroup’s Contactless Only unattended payment terminal. We had written quite extensively about the easy integration of this payment solution, as well as its technical and business benefits, and are thrilled that a leader and innovator like PizzaForno is taking full advantage of it. In fact, Les Tomlin, the company’s Co-Founder and President, told Global News at the recent grand opening of their Wasaga Beach location, how he expects 10,000 PizzaForno units to be operating across North America by 2023. We had a chance to speak with Les ourselves, and he couldn’t hide his excitement about the response he is receiving from both licensees and consumers.
Easy to Use Vending Cashless Payment System – Just Tap!
With traditional cashless payment methods such as credit and debit, as well as more modern cashless payment methods through mobile phone applications such as Google Pay and Apple Pay rising in popularity, it is clear why cashless payment systems are in such high demand. But because PizzaForno is completely staffless, they required an unattended “Contactless Only” vending cashless payment system where payments are made super simple for the consumer. A simple system that would allow the consumer to just tap their card or device without having to swipe, insert, or enter a PIN to make a purchase. There aren’t any employees to guide the customer, so the payment process needs to be very easy to understand. When a simple tap automatically unlocks the goods, it makes the whole process much easier and way faster.
This is exactly what modern-day shoppers expect as they naturally gravitate to time-saving and hassle-free solutions. It has already been proven that in the absence of a typical retail environment with a cashier, unattended cashless retail attracts customers on a more frequent basis who also spend more. It is no surprise that this kind of retail automation ranks high amongst Millennials, the generation which now has an income of $237 billion, and currently makes up 35% of the Canadian workforce while expecting to reach an unbelievable 75% of the workforce in the next 15 years. We’ve previously outlined the importance of catering to this group of consumers and how an efficient payment processing system is critical to Millennials; it’s a must-read for any small business operation.
New Age Vending Machines as a New Business Model
It’s not only shoppers rooting for faster checkout times, businesses love them too. But when new sensor-based technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and robotic mechanisms integrate with Contactless Only payment solutions as a go-to cashless kiosk payment system, new doors begin to open up. In traditional labour-intensive industries, such as foodservice, particularly in the vending sector, it creates an increasingly lucrative low-cost business model. Aside from saving on rising labour costs, operators can benefit from consistent efficiency and uniformity while maintaining the same level of quality and uncompromisable sanitation with every order. The ability to manage inventory remotely is highly desirable as well. And then there is the data which is created as a product of all of this automation, which in today’s world is pure gold. Think, which of my products sell the most? Sell the least? How many repeat customers do I have – in other words, how loyal are my customers? This is the recipe which has catapulted PizzaForno into success.
The PizzaForno Machine: How it Works?
The PizzaForno sensation comes with all the bells and whistles and illustrates just perfectly how all of these benefits have made the food vending business model a successful one. TFI Food Equipment Solutions from Brampton, Ontario, brought this French technology to Canada by partnering with Adial, the creator of “Pizza Door” in Europe, and became their exclusive distributor for North America. The PizzaForno invention is what followed, featuring vending machines with the capacity to store up to 70 12-inch pizzas for 72 hours. It’s all computerized, and stock is managed electronically, with the last date of consumption tracked, while the cooking process is ignited after an order has been placed and payment is made. A robotic arm takes the selected pizza from the cold compartment and puts it into a patented pizza oven. After a baking time of about 2 minutes, the mechanism boxes the hot pizza and delivers it to the customer through an opening in the front of the machine. Folks can also opt to order a cold pizza if they wish to bake it at home; the preference will likely depend on how hungry you are at the moment and a matter of convenience. In any case, all you need to do is take these simple steps:
- SELECT your choice of pizza from the 32-inch interactive screen
- TAP your payment card or smartphone/watch against the Contactless Only terminal right next to it
- ENJOY hot fresh artisanal pizza in less than 3 minutes!
Their pizzas typically range from $11 to $14, taxes included and no tipping required at this restaurant! That’s a pretty sweet deal, wouldn’t you agree?
And what about the Sauce?
Given that the retail operations part is so highly automated and in-sync here, PizzaForno has decided to invest that saved time to focus on preparing the best possible product. Whether you go for a Honey Chèvre pizza with blanco cream, mozzarella, and oregano, or prefer pepperoni with pomodoro sauce instead, rest assured any pizza from this place consists of only quality ingredients. We are talking about hand-stretched authentic Italian Romana crusts, made with 100% Italian Caputo flour, sprinkled with fresh, all-natural locally sourced toppings and sauces. This pizza-making work of art is then packaged and stored inside the refrigerator of the vending machine. All fresh at all times. You want one, don’t you? Great! Our plan was to wake up your taste buds at this point and direct you to the nearest PizzaForno location so you can experience it all for yourself!
Brilliant Ideas Require the Right Partners
While you chew on that, do any brilliant ideas light up in your head after reading PizzaForno’s inspiring story? If you recognize retail trends and can identify the opportunities within them, you may perhaps realize the need to modernize your current business establishment. But wherever your passion for entrepreneurship takes you, make sure you choose the right partners. PizzaForno found that ideal partner in MONEXgroup. They required an innovative vending cashless payment system that offered a terminal that could withstand various extreme outdoor weather conditions. Also, they needed the solution to be very simple to use, and since these are Contactless Only terminals, there is no confusion for customers to figure out whether a card needs to be swiped or inserted, or where to insert their card for that matter. It works with a simple tap and accepts all major credit cards, debit cards, as well as mobile pay apps. Unlike some other solutions in the market which have reportedly experienced problems and lost customers for their clients as a result , MONEXgroup’s PCI compliant unattended payment solutions promise reliability and easy integration to any stand, kiosk, or vending machine.
And now, we are off to grab a delicious PizzaForno pizza. Again!
