If you've read an article about Zume Pizza, chances are it focused on the how the company is using robotics to make pizza more efficiently.

But here's the thing: while robot-assisted pizza production IS interesting, it is NOT what's the most intriguing part about Zume Pizza's business. No, instead it's the application of data analysis combined with what the company calls an "elastic" pizza delivery network that pushes final cook and delivery to where the most demand is that's what is the most revolutionary about this fast-growing pizza startup.

In a sense, the company is applying cloud computing concepts to pizza creation, bringing the ability to scale fast to meet demand with highly efficient resources.

This makes sense for a whole bunch of reasons. Traditional retail fast food involves hundreds of thousands - even sometimes millions of dollars - in fixed cost associated with each (to use a telecom term) "point of presence", but once the store is built you're stuck in one place. Why not move to meet demand where it's at, when it's at?

That is what Zume is doing with a network of mobile pizza trucks that do final-cook in smart ovens and through a fleet of scooters that bring the pizza to the consumer's home.

In today's podcast, Mike talks with Zume Pizza cofounder Julia Collins. If you'd like to meet Julia Collins and hear her talk about the future of restaurant tech in person, make sure to be at the Smart Kitchen Summit.

Podcast listeners can get Smart Kitchen Summit tickets for 25% off using the discount code PODCAST. Just go to www.smartkitchensummit.com.

You can find out more about Zume Pizza by going to https://zumepizza.com via Knit