From Rotary Phones to Robots: Pizza’s Longstanding Love Affair with Technology

Tim Howes, CTO

Pizza has always been married to technology, and the next stage of their relationship is already here.

One can easily picture a Friday night dinner rush: The phone’s ringing, the dough’s flying, someone just dropped a tray of mushrooms, people are screaming at each other, and now the pizza is burnt. 

But it works.

That’s what I’ve always believed makes the pizza business special. It’s fast, it’s scrappy, and it’s full of people who figure things out on the fly. And while it might not always get the credit, the pizza world has been a leader in the technological march for decades.

I grew up and went to college in Michigan, where corner pizza joints were as essential to life as Big Ten football and Meijer runs. From family pizza nights to college friends nights, I loved the Midwestern staples: Domino’s, Little Caesar’s, Jet’s.

Now, as I’ve developed my career in technology, I look back and realize that pizzerias have always tried out new things, adopting what works, and leaving what doesn’t. 

Let’s take a quick walk down memory lane and see how pizza’s always had a tech streak.

1950s–60s: The Phone Rings, and Delivery Is Born

The idea that you could pick up a phone, order a pizza, and have it arrive at your door was revolutionary in mid-century America.

Pizza shops weren’t just cooking—they were running call centers and logistics operations before that was even a thing. Some of the first fast food delivery models in the U.S. came from pizza joints. Pizza was doing Uber Eats before Uber was a glint in Silicon Valley’s eye.

1980s–90s: POS Systems and Heat Bags Change the Game

Remember those early POS systems with the green-on-black screens? They looked like something out of a spy movie, but they were magic. Suddenly you could ring up orders, print kitchen tickets, track sales, and not lose your mind trying to split a check five ways.

Around the same time, heated delivery bags hit the scene. A piping-hot pie that didn’t cool down in the back seat? Total game-changer. Tech wasn’t just for the back office anymore—it was keeping crusts crispy.

2000s: Online Ordering Enters the Chat

When the big chains rolled out online ordering, it seemed like space-age stuff. But soon enough, independent shops followed—whether through a basic website, an early plugin, or even an order-by-email setup.

Sure, the first websites took forever to load and didn’t work great on your uncle’s Windows 98 machine. But they were progress. Orders started coming in with fewer mistakes, and customers loved the convenience.

2010s: Apps, GPS Tracking, and the Rise of Text

The 2010s brought a tsunami of tools: mobile apps, SMS promos, live driver tracking, loyalty programs, and more. And even if you didn’t have a massive tech budget, you found a way—maybe it was your cousin building you a website or a third-party app that actually worked.

All these new ways to order pizza brought more business and were a boon to customer convenience, but too often they took a bite out of profits and direct customer relationships.

Today: AI Agents and the Return of the Phone

Today, technology is helping pizza shops once again. AI agents that can answer texts and phone calls are enabling pizza shops big and small to relieve their staff’s mental juggle, provide top-tier customer experiences, and make sure that no order slips through the cracks. 

Just like phone delivery or online ordering, AI for pizza will not replace workers, but redirect their focus toward making the perfect, airy crust and beautifully melted cheese.

AI agents take orders by text or phone, 24/7, with no drama. Customers love it because it’s fast and convenient (even fun!). Pizza shops love it because it means fewer mistakes, fewer missed calls, and more pies out the door. While not all AI agents are created equal, the trend is clear.

AI adoption may sound like a big leap for pizza, but it’s simply the next step—like switching to heat bags or going online. It’s pizza tech doing what it’s always done: making the hustle a little easier.

Still Hot and Fresh After All These Years

The pizza business is built on timeless things: comforting food, loving people, and the constant hustle. But that doesn’t mean it stands still. From rotary phones to robots, pizza folks have always been early adopters. 

Because at its heart, good pizza goes beyond good taste. Good pizza is about convenience, shared memories with good company, and the never-ending pursuit of making both even better.