A local entrepreneur spent five years and nearly $140,000 developing an automated pizza kiosk system which is set to open in Tigerland near Fred’s in February.

The “smart kiosk” will operate using an artificial intelligence system which allows the user to input their order on a touch screen. From there, the pizza is assembled by the automated system and is ready within five to ten seconds.  

Speed Bancroft, creator of the project, has been gaining support and funding since 2018 from prominent restaurateurs and businessmen across Louisiana to bring his vision of “Speedy Fresh Pizza” to life.  

Two years ago, Bancroft was introduced to Chris Meaux, founder of the food delivery service Waitr. Meaux was the first person to believe in his pizza kiosk project and made the first official investment.  

Bancroft then approached Mitch Rotolo Sr., founder of Rotolo’s Pizza, and Ozzie Fernandes, founder of Izzo’s Illegal Burrito, who both agreed to not only invest in the project, but help Bancroft develop the menu and recipes for his kiosk. This team now comprises the board of directors for all of Bancroft’s projects. 

Bancroft emphasized that although quality may be an issue when it comes to most other food kiosks, he’s spent years ensuring that “convenience and quality” are the milestones of Speedy Fresh Pizza.  

“When you say ‘pizza kiosk’ a lot of people think low quality, but that’s not the case [with us],” Bancroft said. “We wanted to [prove] that you can cook a restaurant-grade pizza in a kiosk, and that’s what we pride ourselves on.”  

Bancroft has worked closely with product specialists and chefs, namely Rotolo and Fernandes, to perfect the pizza recipe for the project, even down to the temperature and consistency of the cheese and how it interacts with the warmer racks used in the kiosk.    

Bancroft has several other kiosk projects in the works in addition to his Tigerland project, all of which will be located around the LSU area. The next one on his agenda will be a pizza-themed 24-hour convenience store with items like wings, fountain drinks and Red Bull. After that, Bancroft is discussing ideas of a drive-through pizza kiosk and an automated bar tap system.  

“It took a long time, but you just have to stick to it through the ups and downs,” Bancroft said.

At one point, Bancroft even sold his car to help develop the kiosk’s AI system.

“I made a huge sacrifice, and you have to do that if you want to start a project,” he said. “I’m that kind of entrepreneur. If I set out to do something, I’m going to do it.”