A Brave New Pizza

In 2.5 seconds Pizza Hut’s newest technology can determine what kind of pizza you want before you do. This may sound like something out of an Orson Well’s novel, but the technology is real and is currently being tested in select markets. Are you someone who has to see something to believe it? Well, that’s basically how Pizza Hut’s newest menu works. The “Subconscious Menu,” developed by Tobii Technology, is a tablet that uses eye-tracking technology to follow your retinas, and, based on that information, builds your ideal pizza. As of now, Pizza Hut is testing their newest technology by arranging 20 of their most common toppings onto their digital menu. Within 2.5 seconds, the menu is able to create your favorite pizza out of the potential 5,000 combinations. The device is 98% accurate.

For the time being, the “Subconscious Menu” is only being released in the U.K. As far as the United States goes, there is no specific timeline when the technology will be available. Pizza Hut states that they will decide whether to release the digital menu in the United States based on the response it gets in the U.K. I’m sure, even if you aren’t a Pizza Hut fan, you’re going to want to try the “Subconscious Menu” out.  If you’re a skeptic like me, the fun is whether the device actually succeeds in creating the pizza of my dreams.  In addition to the technology upgrade, Pizza Hut is introducing new, popular flavors like Sriracha, curry flavored crusts, and flavor “swirls” like balsamic with buffalo. They are marketing this campaign as “The Flavor of Now.”

The competition is hot in the world of chain pizza. With Domino’s releasing their real-time pizza tracker, which allows people to track their pizza’s progress online or on their mobile device, other big pizza players feel like they have to step it up. But, how far will technology take the fast food industry? The development of technology is not always a positive thing in the fast food world. The mechanization of employees is quickly approaching. The demand for higher wages has driven some companies to consider the implementation of automated workers. Even delivery drivers could be replaced with self-driving vehicles. This means that the people who deliver the meat, bread, and veggies to fast food restaurants will potentially lose employment if the push for robotic workers succeeds. On a less bleak note, it takes a long time to implement this type of technology. It could take years until we see a McDonald’s completely comprised of touch screens and robotic cashiers. For now, I’ll wait patiently for the Pizza Hut pie of my dreams.