Pizza Hut Teams Up With Toyota To Unveil Pizza-Making Pickup Truck At SEMA 2018

Tundra PIE Pro reinforces larger Pizza Hut commitment to provide unique and seamless delivery experiences to customers

News provided by

Oct 30, 2018, 13:20 ET

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pizza Hut has joined forces with Toyota to develop the one-of-a-kind, zero-emission Tundra PIE Pro, a mobile pizza factory with the ability to deliver oven-hot pizza wherever it goes. The full-size pizza-making truck was introduced at Toyota's 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show presentation.

Pizza Hut and Toyota team up at SEMA 2018 to unveil the Tundra PIE Pro, a one-of-a-kind, zero-emission mobile pizza factory.

"We are constantly focused on evolving our processes and systems through improvements and innovations that allow our team members and drivers to better serve our customers," said Nicolas Burquier, Chief Customer and Operations Officer, Pizza Hut, U.S. "We are exploring next-generation solutions and automation to support and streamline our delivery business in the future. The Tundra PIE Pro and our work with Toyota are only helping accelerate our commitment to transform both the team member and the customer experience at Pizza Hut."

The Tundra PIE Pro features a unique truck bed that has been converted into a virtual pizza factory on wheels—also known as "The Kitchen"—which contains a refrigerator, a pair of computer-guided robotic arms, and a portable conveyor oven. Like the truck itself, all components in The Kitchen are powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell electric powertrain. From start to finish, the pizza-making process takes between six and seven minutes.

Built to make pizza on the go, the Tundra PIE Pro presents an untapped opportunity for Pizza Hut to expand its delivery radius without compromising the quality of the pizza, allowing a broader base of customers to have oven-hot Pizza Hut pizza delivered to their doorstep.

"Nothing tastes better than a fresh Pizza Hut pizza straight out of the oven," said Marianne Radley, Chief Brand Officer, Pizza Hut. "The Tundra PIE Pro brings to life our passion for innovation not just on our menu but in digital and delivery in order to provide the best possible customer experience."

The starting point for the Tundra PIE Pro was a Tundra SR5 that was torn down to a bare rolling chassis and then reassembled from the ground up. The conventional gasoline-powered drivetrain was removed and replaced with a hydrogen fuel-cell electric power unit adapted from the Toyota Mirai.

When a Pizza Hut pizza is ordered, the first robotic arm opens the refrigerator and removes the selected pizza, places it on the oven conveyor, and returns to close the refrigerator door. The pizza is then sent through a high-speed ventless oven. On the far side, a second arm removes the finished pie, places it on the cutting board, divides it into six identical slices, boxes it up, and delivers it to the customer.

Earlier this year, Toyota announced the E-Pallete Alliance, which includes Pizza Hut, and unveiled a fully-autonomous concept vehicle at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Tundra PIE Pro is the second collaboration from the two innovation-driven brands.

For more details visit Blog.PizzaHut.com or head to PizzaHut.com to order now.

About Pizza Hut®
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE : YUM ), has more restaurant locations in the world than any other pizza company. Founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kan., Pizza Hut operates over 16,800 restaurants in more than 100 countries.

With easy order options including the Pizza Hut app, mobile site, and Amazon and Google devices, Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and has the only loyalty program, Hut Rewards, in the U.S. that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order.

Pizza Hut is also the proprietor of The Literacy Project, an initiative designed to enable access, empower teachers and inspire a lifelong love of reading. The program is rooted in the foundation set by the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program, which is the longest-running corporate supported literacy program, impacting more than 14 million students each year. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. Pizza Hut is the Official and Only Pizza Sponsor of the NFL and NCAA^®.

Contact
Courtney Moscovic, Pizza Hut
972.338.8288
[email protected]

SOURCE Pizza Hut