JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 39

my credit (could be a debit)
card, also displayed pictures
of two types of warm cookies
from vending partner Gold
Mountain Cookies (“one of
our top-selling items”), as well
as garlic cheese bread and soft
pretzels.

Once an order is placed, the
ZaBot goes to work. A label
on the delivery box has a QR
code matched to the customer’s
desired item. The item is then
pulled from its refrigerated
holding slot.
The QR code also tells the
robot how to cook the chosen
item. Pizza is lifted onto its
own tray and put into each of
two ovens, getting an overall
bake and a top broil. Other
refrigerated items are cooked
at their own optimal time and
temperature. The finished pizza
or snack item is placed in its
box and dispensed through one
of the robot’s two delivery slots.
Depending on the type of food,
each refrigerated item is good
for three to five days before
discarding.
It was exciting to anticipate
the pepperoni and veggie pizzas
I had ordered for my family.
ZaBot displayed the digital time
so I could see how soon before
my order would be ready. I
caught one pizza box when it
flew out of the bottom delivery
hatch; and a few moments later,
I caught another box from the
top slot. For fun, the boxes have
outlines of pizza toppings that

can be colored.
The thin-crust ZaBot pizzas
and garlic bread are not pre-cut,
but plastic knives for the pur-
pose are found in a bin near the
machine. The 10-inch round
pizzas are enough for one-two
people. At home, I quartered
the pie with my own metal
pizza cutter and took a slice
from each pie. My vegetarian
daughter and meat-eating hus-
band got to eat three slices.
Both pizzas did their job,
nicely filling our tummies. The
pepperoni was properly crispy
on the one. The veggie pizza
was topped primarily with
onion, mushrooms, banana
peppers (which I do not like)
and green pepper over mozza-
rella cheese and tomato sauce.
I hope more choice in the veg-
gies is coming. The three of us
judged these pizzas as either
“good” or “kind of good.
”
It is reassuring to know
that Tessler and company are
continuing to “work on all our
products, striving for constant
improvement.
”

For example, after customer
feedback, ZaBot re-engineered
its cheese pizza so that “it now
is one of our highest-rated
products.
” The team also is
exploring different size pizzas
and moving quickly toward
offering more thick-crust
“Detroit-style” pizzas. I would
prefer that.

Sensing an unlimited poten-
tial for the pizza robots, the
ZaBot partners intend to soon
open a separate facility, away
from Capri Pizza, to make its
products.
“We have 10 locations (for
ZaBots) that we will be rolling
out in Metro Detroit,
” said
Tessler, before announcing that
the next machine will be avail-
able soon at the Ambassador
Bridge’s duty-free store, 3400 W
.
Fort St. in Detroit. The ZaBot
company also has expansion
plans for the Midwest and
nationwide, starting later this
year.
“It is not out of the question
that there could be 500-1,000
ZaBots around the country

within the next five years,
” he
said. Possible placements could
include airports, stadiums,
shopping malls, office build-
ings, K-12 schools and college
campuses, small retail spaces,
public parks, gas stations, con-
venience stores — “anywhere
with hungry people.
”
Always fond of pizza him-
self, Tessler said, “With all the
testing and sampling we do, I
probably eat pizza most days
although it is usually just a bite
or two. My kids enjoy Capri
once a week and love visiting
ZaBot as a special treat.
“We wanted to offer some-
thing that was relatable to all
ages, especially kids, and I
could not be happier with what
we created.
”

A Veggie
Pizza
The
Pepperoni
Pizza

David Tessler
Family: Wife, Meagan, daughter Harper, 7, and son
Charlie, 4
Education: Graduate of Groves High School in
Beverly Hills
Bar Mitzvah: Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park
Career: An entrepreneur who has owned and
operated several successful businesses in Metro
Detroit, Tessler helped develop gift kiosks for
casinos and was part of a company that built a full
point-of-sale system for golf courses.

David
Tessler

ZaBot Pizza
Robot
at Capri Pizza
30735 Greenfield Road,
Southfield
Zabot.com
A ZaBot Pizza App is
coming soon

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER