Pizza from a vending machine now available in Sudbury

If you're looking for a way to get pizza at anytime of the day or night in downtown Sudbury, that option is now available.

A pizza vending machine is now located in the parking lot of 84 Station on Elgin Street. It serves up six different types of pizza, including classic pepperoni and chicken pesto.

"We don't have a kitchen here at 84 so this was a great opportunity for us to give our customers an option to get food downtown late at night where most of the restaurants in the area are closed at that time," Justin Smith, owner of 84 Station said.

He says the handmade pizzas are never frozen, which means that they can only stay in the machine for 4 days before being replaced. 

That may not be a problem as Sudburians, especially those out late at night, are gobbling them up. Smith says that a few nights ago, the machine sold 18 pizzas between midnight and 8 a.m.

A second machine is located at the Kwik-Way in Val Caron. Amit Parmar, a local businessman who also owns three Kwik-Way locations in Greater Sudbury and has the franchise rights to PizzaForno, is responsible for the arrival of the machines. 

He said that total sales are over 100 pizzas a week. 

All the pizzas are made using local ingredients at the bakery attached to his Kwik-Way location in Hanmer. He says he's hoping to expand his business and possibly open up more machines.

"I cannot commit to an exact number, but it would be in the double digits, combined, by the end of this year," Parmar said. 

As the machines serve food, Public Health Sudbury & Districts is responsible for inspecting them.

Public health inspector Cynthia Peacock-Rocca Says the health unit checks for proper food temperatures and cleanliness.

"When the inspector goes to approve a premise to operate, they're looking at the operation, whether it's done by a machine or a person," she said.

She says both the kitchen where the pizzas are prepared as well as where they're being cooked and served would be inspected.

"In our inspection inventory, we inspect a little over 1,600 premises," she said.

"They all vary. Some are preparing food for other places, some are preparing food for their own place, some are just serving pre-packaged food. Any place that has food — whether it's being handled, served, cooked or displayed — is inspected by our agency. If there's food there, it's part of our inspection inventory."