WOULD you believe me if I told you that you can buy a freshly made pizza from a vending machine at a petrol station?
Probably not. I was sceptical too when I first heard the news.
I remember thinking to myself ‘what are the logistics of that’ and ‘will my pizza taste like gasoline?’
I decided to get a slice of the action and now have the answers to the above questions.
And I can say, with certainty, that a pizza from Pizza Rebellion at BP Sholing did not taste like fuel, thankfully. It was surprisingly delicious.
Not your regular vending machine
The vending machine arrived in Southampton on Monday and offers hungry punters fresh, hand-crafted pizzas from what can only be described as a storage container.
An idea born in lockdown has spread far and wide across the south coast, with the machine in Bursledon Road the latest addition to the fleet.
Pizza is a dish I like to enjoy for many, and most, occasions.
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Night in with friends? Pizza. Limited vegetarian options whilst eating out? Probably pizza. Chuck something in the oven as I can’t be bothered to cook? Pizza.
@journomaya I tried Pizza Rebellion’s pizza vending machine in Southampton (who knew there was such a thing???) 🍕 #pizza #pizzavendingmachine #vendingmachine #southampton #bpsholing #pizzareview @pizzarebellionuk ♬ Aesthetic - Gaspar
However, I have never envisioned myself purchasing or eating a pizza from a vending machine, mainly because I didn’t think it were possible.
Pizza Rebellion proved me wrong, and I was eager to try it.
My verdict
I honestly did not know what to expect when I approached the machine. Many people have told me they pictured a chef in the back of the box whipping up a pizza while I waited, but I can confirm that was not the case (or so I’m aware).
A touchscreen is how you place your order with the various flavours flashing on the screen before you.
I opted for the ‘for VEGANS’ pizza, an 11 inch woodfired crust pizza topped with plant-based chorizo, smashed chickpeas, vegan mozzarella, pickled peppers, tomato and herbs.
There are plenty of options for meat-eaters too and people are spoilt for choice.
I confirmed my order, paid, and nervously waited for my lunch to appear, from wherever it would appear from.
I did have a fleeting moment of concern that it would come flying towards me at top speed, but I knew that would be a health hazard.
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Still, I remained on-guard...just in case.
After about three minutes, I detected movement below the touch screen, and out popped my very hot pizza - at slow speed and in a box.
I grabbed the box and excitedly made my way back to my car, keen to try the petrol station creation.
Once back in the office I tucked into my pizza and was pleasantly surprised. It was packed with flavours and no corner of the pizza lacked toppings.
It was a thin-crust pizza too which made the experience even better (it is the superior style of pizza).
I paid £9.95 in total which, at first glance, I thought was a little bit steep, but I suppose you’re paying for the experience. And I probably would pay for it again because it was fun and much more enjoyable than a frozen pizza eaten at home.
A word from the creators
A spokesperson for Pizza Rebellion said: “During lockdown an idea was realised to use all our experience to provide the convenience of fresh hand-crafted pizzas with the convenience of clever robotics to cook banging pizzas to order 24/7.
“We are the only standalone machines in the UK. We’re rebelling against the normal fast-food junk.
“We are super excited to launch at BP Sholing in Southampton, giving residents the enjoyment and convenience of premium hand-crafted pizza in just four minutes.
“We monitor stock levels remotely and can react to peaks and troughs in the market to reduce spoilage and wastage to practically zero.
“The machine also only uses an incredibly low 4kw of electricity per 24 hours and our boxes and wooden knives are recyclable so our environmental impact is minimal.”
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