Tired of the drive-thru line eating up your morning? According to the team at p!ng⁠ , it is not bad luck... it is a broken system.

This week on The Morning P!NG podcast⁠, founders Jane Lo and Rob Whitten are joined by new CTO Rory MacKean⁠, a robotics engineer and startup builder with a background spanning factory automation, autonomous mobile robots, agricultural robotics, and consumer robotics startups.

Rory breaks down why traditional drive-thrus create what he calls a “queuing nightmare,” and how p!ng is approaching the problem from a completely different angle by designing an autonomous coffee experience from the ground up.

The conversation dives into the real-world chaos of automation, including multi-order vehicles, connectivity issues, operational logistics, and why building directly in front of real customers has become one of p!ng’s biggest advantages.

They also discuss an unexpected lesson learned along the way: even in an autonomous future, the friendly site host still matters.

If you want a behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes to build autonomous retail technology in the real world, this is an episode you do not want to miss.

The 120-Square-Foot Land Grab: How Robotics is Cracking the Real Estate Code

Forget everything you know about drive-thrus. This week, we're dissecting the game-changer that is p!ng's coffee pod.

Commercial real estate legends Jim Sylvia (JSylvia Advisory Services) and Louis Cirignano The Synergy Group join the p!ng founders to talk about how a 120 sq. ft. autonomous coffee pod, with no water or sewer hookups, is unlocking massive, untapped revenue in "dead space" parking lots.

You'll learn why this "Lego Block" of retail is solving traditional drive-thru zoning nightmares, beating Starbucks' 18-month build times, and setting the precedent for a new, profitable class of micro-franchising.

If you own commercial property or think the future of retail is broken, you need to hear this conversation about the coming shift in the last 50 feet of development!

Learn more about p!ng!

In the coffee world, keeping a customer is the hardest part. So, what do you do when 67% of your customers keep coming back?

Host Justin Starbird and p!ng CEO Rob Witten are joined by Jon Kelley, an EMT, one of p!ng’s first customers, and a highly passionate investor. Jon, a lifelong New Englander who grew up surrounded by Dunkin’, breaks down exactly how p!ng’s robotic pod turned his one-time curiosity into a daily habit.

It’s more than just speed. It’s the "no-friction" lifestyle. Hear Jon talk about:

• The moment he realized the "Blue Energy Drink" was better than a burnt cup from the shop down the street.

• The tech that ensures your drink is made right before you arrive, thanks to the app's geofencing.

• Why the consistency and quality of the robotic drink beats a human barista (even on overnights and holidays).

• How his conviction led him to literally show up with a check and inspire p!ng’s crowdfunding round.

This episode shows exactly what product-market fit looks like in the real world, and how a great customer experience becomes the foundation for real scale.