Pizza Forno (Caledonia)
4500 68th Street EastI started seeing the news stories a couple of weeks ago for a pizza vending machine in the Grand Rapids area and had to try it. I mean, the idea sounds cool but what would the pizza taste like?
I happened to be in Grand Rapids one day last week and left a little early so I could hit up this machine on my way home. It was a little more out of the way than I expected it to be but it was fine. I just had to get to Wings Event Center at some point to pick B up from practice.
Pizza Forno is the name of this unique concept. The first one opened in Caledonia earlier this month. The machines are located at the Amazon Fulfillment Center on the corner of 68th Street and Patterson Avenue. Amazon is technically private property but the owners of these machines say that they are “open to the public.” The big problem is, there is really no where to park. The parking lot at Amazon is huge and you just have to find parking and then walk a really long way to the entrance of the building where the machines are located.
There are two kiosks next to the main entry right next to each other. You kind of step in to it to make the transaction. It’s not much but there’s at least a little bit of cover if it’s raining or snowing so you can be out of the elements while the pizza is made.
The ordering process uses a touch screen. You can order your pizza either as a take and bake or as a hot pizza to go. There are six pizzas to chose from. You make your selection, make a selection as a hot or cold pizza, then pay using the credit card machine next to the touchscreen. I ordered the Meat Lovers pizza which cost me about $15.
It takes a little over five minutes for the pizza to be made and cooked. There’s a status bar on the monitor so you know how much longer you have left to wait.
When the pizza is done, it pushed through a little chute just bigger than a pizza box underneath the monitor.
I opened up the box on my way back to my car (it was a pretty long walk) and was immediately confused an annoyed. The pizza isn’t cut. You get a hot 12″ pizza and there’s no way to eat it right away. Kind of defeats the purpose, no?
I got back to the car and looked around the see if I had anything I could cut it with. I didn’t and I wasn’t going to wait until I got home to eat a cold pizza. I essentially just ripped the pizza in half and folded it over and ate it like a calzone. How freakin’ stupid is it that the pizza isn’t cut?
Anyway, moving on.
The pizza isn’t awful but it really isn’t anything to write home about either. There’s a very thin layer of sauce so you’re mostly eat cheese and meat topped bread. The crust actually isn’t bad, it would just be better with a little more sauce. There was more meat on the pizza than I expected so that was a good thing. Overall, the pizza was cooked a little too long though. It wasn’t burnt but the cheese and meat were well done and the lack of sauce just kind of gave the whole thing a “blah” flavor.
I’m totally annoyed by the fact the pizza wasn’t cut so that’s probably clouding my judgment a little bit here.
The pizza was fine. If I worked at Amazon, this would be a great option for lunch every now and then. You do get a hot pizza quickly and cheaply. It’s not the best pizza around but for what it is, it’s not bad. The location kind of sucks for anyone who doesn’t have to go to the Amazon Fulfillment Center. It’s way out of the way and it’s not very convenient. If you’re already there though or just want to say you’ve gotten a pizza from a vending machine, I wouldn’t just walk by it.
SW Michigan Dining 