Two established Seattle startups partner to create profitable, end-to-end solutions for kitchens using mobile ordering, automated food production and self-service pickup solutions
, /PRNewswire/ — Picnic Works, a Seattle-based developer of kitchen automation technology, today announced a partnership with Minnow Technologies, a nearby Seattle IoT startup that has developed the Pickup Pod™, a self-service pickup solution for foodservice operators. The partnership leverages the expertise of both companies to help commercial kitchens, stadiums, large franchises, universities and commercial food service providers envision and enable end-to-end food automation services. This includes a focus on mobile and kiosk ordering, automated food assembly and secure contactless collection solutions.
“Both companies share a desire to create automation solutions for the foodservice industry,” said Clayton Wood, CEO of Picnic. “Minnow’s cloud-connected collection solutions are an excellent complement to Picnic kitchen automation technology. From mobile ordering to secure collection, together we offer a complete modern automation solution.”
The partnership will build customized solutions using the two companies’ technology. Examples include building new concession concepts in amusement parks, stadiums or schools. A customer can place a mobile or kiosk order that is automatically processed by the Picnic station and then placed in a heated or insulated Pickup Pod for the customer to pick up at their convenience. At universities, students can place mobile pizza orders which are collected by the Picnic Pizza Station and then picked up from a Pickup Pod. End-to-end automation solutions like these can help increase the efficiency of a kitchen at peak times, reduce food waste through efficient just-in-time ordering and production, and increase customer satisfaction with ordering and pickup.
“We are thrilled to partner with Picnic to bring leading automation solutions to foodservice operators,” said Steven Sperry, CEO and co-founder of Minnow. “Our goal is to create solutions that delight diners while improving the efficiency and profitability of kitchens. By leveraging Picnic’s kitchen automation technology and Minnow’s pickup offering, we have the opportunity to bring best-in-class automation solutions to our customers.”
The Picnic Pizza Station is autonomous and fully customizable to each order – after loading the dough, the Picnic Station takes care of applying the sauce, cheese, freshly cut pepperoni and additional toppings. The finished pizzas are then loaded into the kitchen’s ovens for cooking. Every hour, the Picnic station can collect up to 100 pizzas. The Picnic technology also allows for integration with a kitchen’s point-of-sale (POS) equipment and mobile ordering platforms. Picnic Pizza Station’s customer list includes managed food service providers Compass, Chartwells and Sodexo Live!, Texas A&M University, The Ohio State University, SeaWorld and several regional pizzerias with new customers coming online weekly.
The Minnow Pickup Pod is an IoT-enabled, smart food cabinet that provides restaurants, ghost kitchens, cafeterias and other foodservice operators with a self-serve order pickup solution. Instead of leaving delivery and pickup orders on an unattended shelf, which inevitably leads to pickup errors and shrinkage, orders are stored in secure, insulated boxes. To help ensure food safety and freshness, the Pickup Pod monitors each pickup and alerts the foodservice operator when the food is not picked up within a specified time. Minnow Pickup Pods are proudly made in the USA by Hatco Corporation, a world-class manufacturer of food service equipment. Today, Pickup Pods can be found in more than 15 states and most major cities, including Atlanta, Boston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Washington D.C and Chicago with new installations occurring weekly.
Picnic Pizza Station and Minnow Pickup Pods are NSF and ETL/UL certified, have online connectivity, support integration with popular point-of-sale (POS) services like Toast and Square, and are supported with cloud-based software and over-the-air firmware updates. With a strong foundation of shared technology capabilities and an understanding of how to create customer-focused automation technology, the partnership between Picnic and Minnow sets the standard for food automation solutions.
For information on Picnic Pizza Stations, see hellopicnic.com and for Minnow Pickup Pods, visit minnowpod.com.
Founded in 2016, Picnic Works (hellopicnic.com) has assembled an experienced team of food and technology industry veterans to develop and deliver specialized intelligent technology and exclusive solutions for the food service and hospitality industries. Restaurants, convenience and grocery stores, college and corporate campuses, casinos, hotels, cruise lines, sports venues, catering groups, health cafeterias, small kiosks, ghost kitchen operators, mobile food operations, food trucks, delivery and military sites are among many segments poised to take advantage of the company’s automated food assembly platform that integrates RaaS, software, cloud and deep learning technology.
Find Picnic online at hellopicnic.com or on social media at facebook.com/picnicworks, linkedin.com/company/picnicworks, twitter.com/picnicnews and instagram.com/picnicnews.
Founded in 2017, Minnow’s smart food cabinets (called “Pickup Pods”) provide a better way to manage order pickups. With a modern design and a small footprint, Pickup Pods are perfect for restaurants, ghost kitchens, cafeterias and other places where food is picked up. They can also streamline food deliveries to office buildings, multi-family properties, universities and hospitals.
Find Minnow online at minnowpod.com or on social media at linkedin.com/company/minnow, facebook.com/minnowpod, Instagram.com/minnowpod and twitter.com/minnowpod
Picnic Media Inquiries: Julie Fogerson or Aaron Blank, Fearey[email protected] (206) 343-1543
Minnow Media Inquiries: Christopher Stanvick[email protected](503) 389-5690
What do you bring to a family picnic?
Picnics are one of my favorite things about summer!…Fun family picnic must-haves
- “Favorite” sandwich. …
- The perfect snack. …
- Individual snack bags. …
- Mason jars and paper straws. …
- Individual food bags. …
- A large picnic basket. …
- Garbage bags. …
- A large, soft duvet or blanket.
What is the nation’s Favourite picnic item?
Sandwiches are the nation’s favorite picnic food.
What is America’s favorite picnic food? Popular foods to grab include potato salad, pasta salad, watermelon, deviled eggs, lemonade, and sandwich items such as cold cuts, cheese slices, and bread. If you want to bring a portable grill or are somewhere with a charcoal grill or fire pit, consider bringing hot dogs and hamburgers to cook.
What is an American picnic?
In the United States, the term “picnic” refers to the act of bringing food to an outdoor area and enjoying it there at a leisurely pace.
What is an English picnic?
An average British picnic involves going with friends to a sunny outdoor area, such as a park or beach, to eat, drink and socialize. Depending on how fancy the gathering is, you can take a picnic basket with plates, glasses and all the things you need to enjoy a meal under the open sky.
What is Spanish picnic?
Translations. picnic noun. picnic, el ~ (m) (merienda campestre)
How many cold cuts do I need for 40 people?
Divide the 6 ounces per person with the number of meats served to determine ounces of toppings per person you need. Multiply your number of guests by the number of ounces you need per person. Divide this number by 16 to determine the amount of toppings you will need for the event in pounds.
How much cheese for sandwiches for 40 people? A good rule of thumb is one ounce of each cheese for each guest, and about five types of cheese are perfect for any size gathering.
How many loaves of sandwiches do I need for 50 people?
Next, you should think about exactly how many sandwich loaves you need, so that at least 50 people can eat one at a time. When all sandwiches are made as one, it is possible to make five loaves.
How many sandwiches should I make for 50 people?
| Food type | Approximate amount for 50 portions | Serving size per person |
|---|---|---|
| Sandwiches | ||
| Beef, ham, turkey, sliced delicacy | 4 lbs total | 2 slices (about 1 oz) |
| Cheese, sliced delicacy | 3 lbs. | slice |
| Bread | 4 loaves of bread (22-24 slices per loaf) | discs |
How many sandwiches do I need for a party of 100?
How many loaves of bread do you need to make 100 sandwiches? The answer, according to our calculator, is: 12 â assuming your 100 sandwich consumers are all adults or hungry children!
How many people does 1 pound cold cuts feed?
Wondering how much deli meat to order on your next visit? Here’s a good rule of thumb: 1 pound of deli meat, sliced sandwich-style, makes about 5 to 6 sandwiches. Cheese slices should be ordered thinner than deli meat, so you have more cheese slices to lie on.
How many servings is a pound of cold cuts?
The FDA defines 2 ounces as a serving size with respect to deli meats. That being said, one pound of product would equal 8 servings per pound.
How many servings are in a pound?
One pound is 16 ounces. A quarter pound is usually one serving – four ounces. So there are four portions per pound.
How many pounds of cold cuts do I need for 10 people?
45 oz or 2.8 lb cold cuts for 10 people. 45 oz or 2.8 lb Sandwich meat for 10 people.
How do you calculate how many sandwiches per person?
Plan on three to four finger sandwiches per person when serving with a salad as an entree. If you’re incorporating finger sandwiches into an appetizer party menu, use one to two of each sandwich per person, depending on the time of day and the length of the event.
How many lbs of meat do you need per person?
A question we often get is “How much meat should I use?†The rule of thumb is: Boneless meat: 1/2 lb. per person for adults and 1/4 lb. per person for children.
How much does a full tray feed?
Most half trays serve approximately 8-10 people. Most full trays serve approximately 15-20 people.
How big is a full catering tray? Full size food pans are the standard in the foodservice industry and measure approximately 20 3/4″ x 12 3/4″. All other sizes of cooking pots are simply a variation of these dimensions. For example, a 1/2 size pan measures 12 3/4″ x 10 3/8″ and a 2/3 size pan measures 13 3/4″ x 12 3/4″.
How many party platters do I need?
On average, guests will consume five to eight servings per person in an hors d’oeuvres hour before dinner. For a party where you’re only serving hors d’oeuvres, plan for eight to 12 servings per person in the first hour, and four to six pieces per person every hour thereafter.
How many sandwiches do I need for a party of 50?
| Food type | Approximate amount for 50 portions | Serving size per person |
|---|---|---|
| Sandwiches | ||
| Beef, ham, turkey, sliced delicacy | 4 lbs total | 2 slices (about 1 oz) |
| Cheese, sliced delicacy | 3 lbs. | slice |
| Bread | 4 loaves of bread (22-24 slices per loaf) | discs |
How many trays do I need for 20 people?
In most cases, 3 aluminum pans will hold about 20 servings each, which equates to about 60 servings for a large crowd of people. Aluminum pans are able to hold up to 7-8 liters of food, depending on whether the food is wet or more solid.