Category: Vending Machine Options

What do you think of when you hear the words vending machines? Is it good or bad? Yes, vending machines used to have a bad reputation, but that’s not the case anymore. The vending machines of today are different.

They offer everyone’s favorite snacks and drinks in a variety of packaging and use state-of-the-art technology. Let’s look at how those seemingly unlike features make a difference.

More Sustainable Packaging

Three of the U.S.’s largest beverage companies recently completed the first year of a 10-year project called Every Bottle Back. The project aims to decrease the beverage industry’s plastic footprint. Over the course of the project, each business will work to increase the number of recycled plastic bottles and produce new bottles out of recycled materials.

Katherine Lugar, President and CEO of the American Beverage Association, explained why the project is so vital. “Every Bottle Back is our commitment to reduce our plastic footprint and ensure our plastic bottles don’t end up as waste in oceans, rivers or landfills.”

To support the beverage industry’s goals, Orlando employers can make small changes around the workplace and help their employees recycle more. For example, employers can make the following changes:

• Place a recycling bin in the break room and in strategic places around the office or building
• Make sure that the recycling bins stand out from the garbage cans
• Think about the size and type of container for each location

Vending Machines Combine Traditional and Better-for-You

Vending machines in Orlando break rooms are easy to access. Break room providers can fill them with almost anything, including chips, cookies, fruit, sandwiches, bottled water, and soda. Whether employees want a quick meal or a snack, there are many choices to pick from. Plus, refrigeration keeps products cold and fresh until employees buy them.  

Employees can buy items at any time of the day, making it a good solution for those who work swing or night shifts. For those employers looking to offer a lower-cost and higher-value benefit to their employees, paying for all or part of the cost is a great option.

Technology

State-of-the-art technology isn’t always visible. In fact, most are found inside the machine. They include LED lighting, energy-efficient parts, and touchless or wireless payment options. Employees won’t see the wireless technologies inside a vending machine or at a service provider’s warehouse, but those technologies make a big difference.

Connecting a vending machine via a wireless connection to the break room provider allows them to track real-time inventory levels and sales data. Providers then use the data to gather stock more efficiently and run fewer delivery routes. With fewer routes, providers therefore need to dispatch fewer trucks, reducing emissions.

Are you ready to take your Orlando break room into 2021 with modern vending machines and delicious snacks and beverages? The Vending Station can help. We offer a variety of traditional and healthier snacks and drinks as well as fresh food. Together we can customize the perfect menu for your vending machines or micro-market.

For more information about any of our services, including office coffee service, please contact us at (407) 891.7632. We look forward to hearing from you.

References to and the use of vending machines can be found off and on throughout history. The first written record described a machine in 215 BC that dispensed holy water after the user inserted a coin. In 2019 countries across the world have chosen to use vending machines to make sure their customers always have access to the products they want when they want them.

Three interesting examples that can be found in different parts of the U.S. are Barrett’s Smokehouse’s meat vending machine, The Art-o-mat® and The Breadbot.

smoked meat: Ever have a craving for bratwurst, beef brisket or pulled pork, and your favorite smokehouse is closed? A Michigan smokehouse has the solution to your problem. Open 24/7 with almost any barbecued product you can think of, this closely monitored vending machine offers delicious, fresh products that are replaced daily.

art: The Art-o-mat®, a vending machine that sells art, is both a machine that sells a product and a work of art. Using an old cigarette vending machine, artist Clark Whittington modified the machine in order to be able to sell his own art at a local cafe. The idea took off, and now multiple artists sell their work in machines throughout the US.

bread: Enjoy freshly made bread without having to put in all the work. Wilkinson Baking Company developed The Breadbot, a free-standing, mini bakery that takes care of the entire baking process and delivers a variety of delicious options.

As with the creators of these vending machines, don’t be afraid to step out of the box when designing your Orlando and Central Florida break room. Approach the process from the perspective of a business determining how they will meet very specific goals. The following objectives are examples that any organization can use to start determining their specific goals.

• encourage employees to stay on-site when they need a coffee break by offering delicious coffee options; benefit: less time spent away from the office (less time at the office usually means less work accomplished)  
• offer healthy snacks, beverages and fresh food; benefit: healthy employees have fewer sick days and are more productive
• create a welcoming space; benefit: chance to decrease stress levels and increase morale

In addition, meeting the previous three goals also creates more opportunities for spontaneous creativity and interactions with colleagues

How will your Orlando and Central Florida organization get creative when determining your break room goals? Whether you know exactly what your break room needs or are starting from scratch, The Vending Station can help. We offer a wide variety of refreshment programs including micro-markets, pantry service, vending machines and office coffee service as well as healthy and traditional snacks, beverages and fresh food. It’s time to take the first step. For more information about any of our services, please call The Vending Station at The Vending Station.

Students at Ohio State University proved once again that anything can be sold in a vending machine. In December of 2018, the meat science program at Ohio State and the Ohio Pork Council partnered to sell students packets of ready-to-eat bacon for $1 from a vending machine during finals week.

Unexpectedly successful, the students of the meat science program had to restock the machine four to five times per day just to keep up with demand. The fundraiser sold over 275 pounds of bacon in the eight-day period. 

So, how does a stand-alone machine that sells bacon end up on a college campus? Ohio State senior and part-time employee at the Ohio Pork Council, Meghann Winters, suggested it as a way to promote Ohio pork. Since the concept of offering cooked bacon via a vending machine was unheard of, Winters had to purchase an old vending machine and “baconify” it. 

Retrofitting the machine proved to be a challenging process. Per Winters, “Most vending machines are made for candy bars, not necessarily bacon. We had to make sure the packaging didn’t get caught as it was falling out. We also had to find shelf-friendly bacon.”

While a bacon vending machine is definitely unique, and the bacon delicious, that doesn’t mean “traditional” vending machines are boring. In fact, there are a variety of healthy and traditional snacks and beverages as well as fresh food in Orlando and Central Florida break room vending machines that will satisfy any palate. 

A frequent challenge is drawing attention to the snacks, beverages and fresh food, and encouraging employees to try something new. One way to overcome that hurdle is to host a taste-testing event. Orlando and Central Florida employees are more likely to try something they’ve never consumed if that item is free. A side benefit of satiated and happier employees is often increased morale and increased productivity. That sounds like a win for everyone.

Whether your break room needs a complete overhaul or just a few updates, The Vending Station can help. We offer a variety of refreshment services including sought-after, brand name snacks and beverages as well as fresh food in state-of-the-art vending machines. For more information, please contact The Vending Station at (407) 891-7632.

March 7 is now an important day for Orlando and Central Florida residents who have purchased an item from or worked with a vending machine or the products it delivers. National Vending Day, a day of celebration developed by NAMA, is “a point-in-time to recognize vending and the value it provides to millions of consumers, 24/7/365.”

You might be wondering what type of value the vending industry provides. Vending is found in every community in the U.S., is an essential component of the Convenience Services industry and is a big contributor to the Convenience Services nearly $25 billion economic impact. According to NAMA, the Convenience Services industry provides “140,000 good paying jobs with $7.21 billion in wages, [and] pays $3.5 billion taxes at every level of government.” Add in the wide variety of snacks, beverages and fresh food, and it’s easy to see the value.

As we celebrate the vending industry today and look toward the future, let’s pause and look back at a bit of vending machine history.

The concept of a vending machine has been around for a lot longer than most Orlando and Central Florida residents realize. In fact, the first vending machine was said to have been referenced by the mathematician Hero in 215 BC in Ancient Egypt. In his machine, the user placed a coin in the machine and received holy water. Other important dates include:

1886: U.S. granted several patents for coin-operated dispensers.

1888: Tutti-Frutti gum vending machines were installed in a Orlando and Central Florida subway station.

1946: The first coffee vending machines were invented.

1950: Refrigerated sandwich vending machines expanded the lunch menu.

1960: Dollar bill changers were added to vending banks, and single-cup coffee vending machines were introduced.

1961: Canned soft drink vending machines offered customers a new beverage option.

1972: Glass-front snack machines were introduced.

1985: Credit card / debit card devices for vending machines were introduced.

1987: First hand-held computers that electronically captured vending data were used, and frozen food vending machines were introduced.

1991: Flavored coffees, espresso and cappuccino were introduced in coffee machines.

1993: First remote wireless transmission of data from machines to warehouses occurred.

How will the next 100+ years change the vending industry? What will the break rooms of the late 21st century look like? While we can’t predict what a future Orlando and Central Florida break room will look like, we can make sure that the break room of 2019 meets the needs of today’s employees. In additional to traditional and healthy vending, micro-markets and office coffee service are just a couple of the refreshment options that will help create the ultimate break room today.

For more information about updating your current break room or performing a complete makeover, please contact The Vending Station at (407) 891.7632. Let’s celebrate together!