Earlier this year, Audley Wilson and his partners took their dream – a revolutionary vending machine that makes fresh, made-to-order burgers – and pitched it to the investors (and to America) on Shark Tank. They walked away with a $1.5 million loan, but getting there wasn’t easy.
In a recent episode of Forktales, Audley shared his long journey to Shark Tank, the challenges with building a fully-functioning kitchen in a 12-square-foot vending machine and why he chose to devote himself to making hamburgers. Audley also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Shark Tank process and why each entrepreneur who appears on the show really is required to meet with a psychologist after the taping.
Here’s a look at four questions from that episode. Check out the full interview with Audley here.
WHY BURGERS? WHY NOT PIZZA OR HOT DOGS?
I love burgers. But it’s also about their standardization. One of the hardest parts of food machines is dispensing the ingredients. If you have too wide of a variety of ingredients, then it could be challenging. But I really do love burgers. They’re the perfect meal on the go.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WITH CREATING ROBOBURGER?
One of the biggest challenges (with Roboburger) has been the health requirements. Getting that NSF certification was a gargantuan challenge and getting our UL certification on top of that was even more. We created a patented procedure for making a burger. We actually have five patents in Roboburger. Five different inventions.
ARE AMERICANS DEMANDING MORE CONVENIENCE AND SMARTER VENDING OPTIONS?
People are starting to shift to a higher convenience lifestyle. How can I get what I want, when I want it, wherever I am. Think back to the year 2000, like there were so many more cafeterias. Obviously there’s more work from home now, which has also caused a shift. So people have gone from cafeterias to sort of moving back into unattended retail.
TELL US ABOUT THE SHARK TANK EXPERIENCE. HOW INTENSE WAS IT?
When you get to Shark Tank, it’s just one go. You’re standing on a carpet. It’s live. There are no cuts. In the end, Shark Tank was a really interesting experience. I’ve done thousands of pitches over the years, but I’ve never had one (like Shark Tank).
