Restaurant AI and Robotics Leader Miso Robotics Acquires Zume Pizza’s Technology and Intellectual Property
Miso Robotics
The transaction follows Miso’s recent acquisition of Zignyl, as well as other acquisitions in the rapidly growing restaurant AI and robotics space
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, June 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Miso Robotics, the leading AI and robotics provider for modern restaurants and hospitality, announced today that it has acquired the technology and intellectual property of Zume Pizza, the food robotics early-mover which wound down operations after raising over $450 million. The deal was announced by Miso CEO, Rich Hull. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2015, Zume Pizza was perhaps the highest profile player in the pre-pandemic first wave of robotics companies targeting the food space. Developed over a decade, Zume’s expansive portfolio of over 300 patents covers robust innovations in robotic food preparation, delivery, sustainability, and packaging. The addition of Zume’s intellectual property will allow Miso to accelerate the addition of new features across its existing platform, unlock the ability to expand its platform more rapidly into adjacent products, and strengthen its market-leading position through patent licensing and enforcement.
Experienced technology CEO Hull joined Miso approximately two years ago and partnered with Miso investor Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) on a vision to combine disciplined organic growth with opportunistic inorganic growth. About the Zume acquisition, Hull said, “Zume created the most important portfolio of technology in food robotics’ first wave. Now combined with Miso’s existing technology related to AI and robotic frying, grilling, and beverages, this transaction creates the food industry’s largest AI and robotics patent portfolio, and further solidifies Miso’s market-leading position as the restaurant and hospitality industry’s trusted, one-stop technology solution for modernization.”
The timing of the transaction is significant, as it is historically the second wave of companies who successfully scale the disruptive advancements created by the first wave. Hull commented, “In social media, MySpace was the first innovator, but Facebook won. In tablets, Palm Pilot was the first innovator, but iPad won. Zume may have been a bit too early for the market, but its advancements were game-changing. As labor shortages and rising labor costs cause restaurants to rapidly modernize today, Miso can now be the one to unlock the massive value of this IP and further accelerate our industry-leading ability to deliver provable customer ROI.”
Miso’s Zume transaction also comes on the heels of its recent acquisition of restaurant operations software company Zignyl, which Miso is combining with its restaurant revenue generator product, Zippy. The combined customer base of Zippy and Zignyl now includes leading quick serve restaurant brands, including Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Jersey Mikes, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Jamba, Cinnabon, Which Wich, and more. Miso’s acquisition of Zignyl earlier this year came on the heels of another high-profile acquisition in the space, Wonder’s $186 million acquisition of Sweetgreen’s Spyce robot.
Under Hull’s leadership, Miso has collaborated with NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) to build an AI infrastructure platform called the Miso Hub that is the operating system for modern restaurants and foodservice operations. Now powered by the Miso Hub, Miso’s flagship product, Flippy Fry Station, is an AI robot which automates the hardest-to-fill, least desirable job in restaurants. Last year, the company launched Flippy’s third generation and recently surpassed 5 million baskets fried in live commercial deployments. Flippy just entered its seventh US state with restaurant brands such as White Castle, as well as launched in its first NBA arena.
Having raised more than $100 million, Miso is unique in that it has successfully married sophisticated investors like Ecolab with over 40,000 retail capital investors, a group it often refers to as its “secret weapon.” OpenAI recently employed a similar strategy in advance of its upcoming IPO whereby it allowed retail investors to purchase $3 billion of shares in its latest fundraise.
The need for restaurant modernization has accelerated over the past three years due to the emergence of affordable AI and robotics as solutions for the labor shortages and rising labor costs that began during the pandemic. Savvy restaurant operators are now rushing to future-proof their businesses, and are learning that AI and robotics can create happier, longer-tenured human workers in an industry that, according to the National Restaurant Association, regularly sees 144% annual employee turnover.
About Miso
Miso is the leading creator of AI and robotics solutions for modern restaurant, hospitality, and foodservice operators. Powered by the largest AI and robotics patent portfolio in the food industry, the company’s technology platform solves the industry’s most pressing operational challenges, while also delivering new profits. Its flagship product is Flippy Fry Station, a 24/7 AI robot that automates the most dangerous, least desirable, and hardest-to-staff job in food preparation. With the newest generation recently entering its seventh US state, Flippy delivers perfect food quality every time, improved worker safety, and day-one ROI. Miso’s newest AI product, Zippy, is an all-in-one restaurant revenue generator that includes employee rewards, real-time sales analysis and forecasting, and everything else needed to quickly manage labor much more easily and efficiently. With strategic backing from Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) and collaboration support from NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), Miso has become the restaurant industry’s proven and trusted solution for modernization.
Kelly Vogt Campbell
Intuitive Communications
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