The Vending Station Blog

Technology and the Touchless Jacksonville Break Room

Posted on February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 by Katie Waxman

In the past, companies made changes to break room technology for one of two reasons. The first was to solve a problem. The second was to be known as a company at the front of innovation.

Today, things are different. Many Jacksonville companies have started adding various technologies that change how their businesses run. The goal is to help employees and customers stay safe. But, once things “return to normal,” the challenge will be to keep these advances.

One such upgrade is touchless technology. Whether connected to vending machines, micro-market equipment, or office coffee brewers, touchless is the new “it” word in Jacksonville break rooms.

COVID-19 has made touchless options critical for break rooms during the past year. Therefore, it is essential to examine why and how this technology will be valuable going forward.

Everyone knows the scenario of being in a public place and wondering what else has touched the surface you’re about to touch. Most of us didn’t think twice about it, but the new awareness around hygiene is here to stay.

Break Room Solutions

In Jacksonville break rooms, vending machines and micro-markets have a lot of surfaces. But the areas that employees touch most often are those where payments occur. Whether it’s a micro-market self-checkout kiosk or a vending machine, the solution is touchless payments.

The break room provider may offer several options. Mobile apps such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, a mobile wallet, or an app from the vending provider are a few options. The results, especially in heavily trafficked areas, are fewer Jacksonville hands touching the equipment.

Another option is the MR1 mobile platform or app. Anyone with a smartphone can use this app. Employees can contact the vending provider directly and share information about a problem they may be having. In many cases, the problem can be solved by just using the app.

Office Coffee and Technology

Office coffee service has also been changed by touchless technology. Many equipment manufacturers have modified coffee and cafe-style brewers so employees can buy beverages from their phones. All the employee must do is place the mug down, press a few buttons on their phone, and take the mug away.

How will your Jacksonville business adapt touchless technology in the break room? The Vending Station has various options that can help today and in the future. To learn more about our vending services, including micro-markets, vending machines, and office coffee service, please call us at (407) 891.7632.

How to Choose a Break Room Provider in Orlando

Posted on February 15, 2021February 13, 2021 by Katie Waxman

Today’s break room is tasked to perform multiple functions. It’s a place to relax, to grab a bite to eat, and to have meetings. While the room’s look and feel needs to be inviting, the refreshment menu is even more important. Employees will go off-site for coffee or lunch if they don’t like the options, and that’s something every Orlando employer wants to avoid.

Fortunately, choosing a new break room provider doesn’t have to be daunting. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a break room provider.

Break Room Safety and Wellness

In the time of COVID-19, health and safety practices are even more critical. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about safety procedures or about policies at the warehouse. A Orlando provider should willingly share what they are doing to keep everyone safe.

Choose the Best Fit

You might already have an idea about which service fits your organization the best. But if you don’t, a great service provider should be able to help guide you through the decision process. There are multiple factors to consider when choosing between a micro-market and vending machines.

For example, micro-markets tend to offer more product variety since they have more space inside the equipment. On the other hand, the larger micro-market coolers tend to take up more physical space in a room. The good thing though is that both micro-markets and vending machines can offer fresh food and healthy options.

Don’t Forget the Coffee

For many Orlando employees access to great-tasting coffee is almost as important as air. As with meals and snacks, offering office coffee service is one way to encourage everyone to stay on-site when they need a caffeine boost. A provider should be able to help you choose the equipment that fits your business best.

Break Room Technology

Today’s break rooms include several types of technology that help create a seamless process. The most visible one is mobile payment. Both vending machines and the self-checkout kiosk in a micro-market can be set up to also accept mobile payments.

At the warehouse, providers can use various technologies. Wireless tracking of inventory levels, pre-kitting, and scheduling delivery routes are a few. Tracking product inventory lets providers know when to swap out snacks and beverages that aren’t selling for more popular ones. Fewer delivery routes mean trucks spend less time on the road.

Now that you know a bit about choosing a provider, we can help you take the first step. The Vending Station offers a wide range of vending service options, including coffee service, filled with everyone’s favorite snacks and beverages. For more information, please call us at (407) 891.7632.

4 Chocolate Snack Benefits in Jacksonville Break Rooms

Posted on January 30, 2021February 3, 2021 by Katie Waxman

A chocolate bar is a great snack to include in your Jacksonville break room vending machine. Seriously. Traditional snacks and better-for-you snacks do not have to fall into two different categories, especially when chocolate is involved.

Chocolate can be both. This is especially good since most consumers believe chocolate can be part of a happy, balanced lifestyle.

When someone says chocolate, most people think of milk chocolate, but dark chocolate is a great choice too. The higher amounts of cocoa in dark chocolate offer more health benefits. (But all chocolate is excellent!)

Here are 4 benefits.

The Snack Stress Reducer

It’s an understatement to say that everyone is under stress right now. It’s also known that too much stress is bad for one’s health. Chocolate can help with that.

Eating all types of chocolate boosts endorphins, which results in happier people and a decrease in stress. It’s easier to focus and work when one isn’t stressed. Chocolate also contains caffeine, a favorite afternoon energy boost.

Offering various chocolate bars in the snack vending machine makes it easy to find something when you need it.

Heart Health

Dark chocolate is rich in magnesium and copper, two minerals that help regulate blood pressure. Regularly eating small amounts of dark chocolate also provides the body with essential antioxidants. The antioxidants have many jobs. They help protect the heart, control insulin sensitivity, and improve blood flow.

Eating heart healthy foods also supports the body’s other systems. A healthy heart can help your employees’ immune system fight colds and other easily spreadable illnesses.

Fewer Sick Workers

Dark chocolate helps even more here too. The high levels of Catechins in dark chocolate give the immune system an extra boost. A stronger immune system means fewer colds. Fewer sick employees mean fewer disruptions and decreases in workplace productivity.

Better Morale with a Chocolate Snack

Yes, chocolate can improve morale. Benefits like trendy snacks and beverages in the break room vending machine really do have an impact. It might seem small to you, but it means a lot to your Jacksonville employees. Your employees will know that you see them and that their happiness matters to you.

Who would have thought that a chocolate bar could do all of this?

The Vending Station would like to help you customize your break room. Choose from a selection of delicious snacks, beverages, and fresh food to create the perfect menu. For more information about all our refreshment services, including micro-markets, vending machines, and office coffee service, please call us at (407) 891.7632.

Benefits of a Micro-Market in Orlando

Posted on January 15, 2021January 22, 2021 by Katie Waxman

Do you wish you could offer your employees something bigger than vending machines in the break room? A micro-market is the perfect solution. It offers a wider range of snacks, beverages, and fresh food in open-front coolers and on free-standing racks. Your break room will become a welcoming space for everyone.

Here are three reasons why you should upgrade your break room with one of our micro-markets.

Flexible Plan of Attack

Each company’s break room needs are different from the time of day employees visit the break room to the room’s layout and physical location. To help meet your needs, we will customize a solution that fits your company.

For example, a neighboring business might be open during regular business hours. But your business might have a second or third shift. It doesn’t matter which shift your Orlando employees work. A micro-market is open 24/7. It’s accessible to all employees, even those who work the second or third shifts.

Do you have a large break room that serves hundreds of employees? Maybe your company is smaller with limited space, or perhaps it’s somewhere in between. We can customize a plan that works for you. For instance, the layout of your open-concept market will be designed based on your physical space and number of employees. Is your company growing? No problem, your micro-market can grow with you.

Micro-Market Technology

In today’s changing work environment, technology must adapt to meet new demands. Likewise, technology in the break room must also adapt. Our micro-markets include state-of-the-art tools designed to create a seamless experience for your employees.

An important piece of technology is the self-checkout kiosk. Unlike a store, a micro-market doesn’t need a cashier. The kiosk also offers other features such as a touchless checkout process using mobile payment options. It can also share promotional and rewards programs with users.

Carefully placed security cameras help deter theft and keep an eye on the space. In addition, wireless technology helps us track inventory and equipment status. We use the real-time data to keep everyone’s favorite products in stock. The data also helps us figure out when it’s time to introduce new products.

Snacks and Drinks

The main purpose of a micro-market is to offer great-tasting snacks, beverages, and pre-packaged fresh food. Access to delicious on-site choices means your employees don’t have to go off-site for their lunch or coffee breaks. And, as a result, staying on-site creates many benefits, from unplanned team work to increased output.

Part of our job is to make sure your employees have the options they crave, whether it’s the latest energy drinks or specialty waters, the latest snack trends, or delicious fresh food. But don’t forget the coffee service. With most Orlando adults drinking coffee every day, access to freshly brewed and flavorful coffee or tea is a benefit your employees will love.

For more information about our micro-markets, coffee service, and vending options, please contact The Vending Station at (407) 891.7632. We look forward to hearing from you.

Snacking in Jacksonville Break Rooms

Posted on December 28, 2020December 24, 2020 by Katie Waxman

How does snacking fit into your day? Do snacks replace a meal or help you survive until your next one? Or, maybe they’re an energy boost? What about a reward or something to satisfy a craving? You aren’t alone if your snacks function as just one of those, or if they are all three at the same time. The way consumers plan, choose, and eat food has changed.

To help Jacksonville employees learn about their new vending options and see the value, let’s take a look at the three primary snack needs.

Nutritious Options

helps to meet daily caloric needs and to stay hydrated
keeps energy levels stable and up
helps to manage health and diet
stops hunger between meals
examples: yogurt, granola bars, whole fruits and vegetables, water, and smoothies

Snacking for Optimization

helps to meet mental and physical performance goals
offers an energy boost
helps with recovery after exertion or a loss of nutrients, fluids, and energy
increases mental focus
examples: coffee, whole fruits, popcorn, nuts, protein bars, and smoothies

Snacks and Pleasure

offers comfort and stops cravings, at least in the short term
can be either an indulgence or a reward
creates a time to eat different flavors and textures
is an opportunity to try new foods
examples: cookies, candy, chips, nuts, and flavored milks

Each of these snack needs can function independently or in combination with each other. In most situations, Jacksonville employees don’t realize that they require the snack to be fun even if their goal is nutritional. One way to meet those increasing needs and have a positive impact on your employees is to reconsider the types of snacks and beverages offered in your break room vending machine or micro-market.

The Vending Station can help update your break room layout and customize your refreshment menu to inspire snacking occasions and meet your employees’ needs. Not only is it good for your Jacksonville employees’ health and well-being, but it’s also good for company morale and productivity.

To learn more about the wide variety of fresh food, snacks, and beverages we offer and our vending, micro-market, and coffee services, please contact us at (407) 891.7632.

Healthy Food Trends in Orlando in 2021

Posted on December 15, 2020December 11, 2020 by Katie Waxman

Employees want access to healthy options. The events of 2020 have made that desire even stronger. Since Orlando employees spend the majority of the day at work, the break room is the ideal place to grab something to eat or drink. Vending machines and micro-markets can offer both healthy and traditional snacks, beverages, and fresh food.

The start of 2021 will soon be here with new food trends to explore. Here are four that include a variety of healthy ingredients.

Immune Boosting Foods

Citrus, ginger, and garlic are some of the more well-known immune boosting ingredients. While none of these will prevent or cure illnesses, they do help strengthen the immune system. A strong immune system can fight off colds and other infections. Superfoods such as berries, leafy greens (the darker the better), nuts, whole grains, yogurt, cruciferous vegetables, and legumes also help.

Meals or snacks made with these healthy ingredients don’t have to be complicated. Your Orlando break room menu could include a salad with mixed greens, broccoli and chickpeas, trail mix with dried fruit, and whole grain crackers with or without a nut butter.

Healthy Breakfast

Whether the start of your employees’ day is at 6:00 am or 6:00 pm, choosing something healthy for the first meal of the day makes sure that the day starts off right. Simple and quick options available in the break room could include oatmeal, muffins, granola and yogurt, a breakfast burrito, hard boiled eggs, or a smoothie.

The Next “It” Ingredient

Following in cauliflower’s footsteps, chickpeas are projected to be 2021’s “it” ingredient. Chickpeas are very versatile. Almost anything can be made with them. They are also a great source of protein. Menu options could include baked chickpeas with a variety of spices and flavors, breakfast cereals (which everyone knows can be enjoyed 24/7), chocolate covered chickpeas, and crisps or chips.

An Extra Healthy Serving

It’s not always easy to eat enough fruits and vegetables. Instead of worrying about adding an extra serving to a meal, vegetable and fruit-based snacks are an alternative. Jerky made from fruit or vegetables is a new snack option that falls into that category. Flavors range from banana or mango to mushrooms and beets. There really is a flavor for everyone.

And don’t forget about the coffee. It may not be on the 2021 trends list, but it will always be in demand. Discover how easy it is to offer healthy snacks and fresh food in your Orlando break room.

For more information, please call The Vending Station at (407) 891.7632. We look forward to helping you get your break room ready for 2021.

The Best Break Room Decision Ever Made in Jacksonville

Posted on November 30, 2020December 7, 2020 by Katie Waxman

Would you find the following break room space inviting? It’s a room with several long tables and chairs, a refrigerator next to some cabinets, maybe a sink, and a coffee pot that looks as old as the dinosaurs. If you don’t, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, that’s what many break rooms used to look like. Employees had to either go off-site for something to eat or drink or remember to bring something from home.

Today, however, there are a lot of options to choose from. It’s easy to create a welcoming space with everyone’s favorite snacks, fresh food, and drinks. And micro-markets are incredibly versatile.

Break Room Make Over

A micro-market works almost like a small convenience store. There are open racks for shelf-stable products, reach-in coolers and freezers, and a self-checkout kiosk. The accompanying security system allows the micro-market to stay open 24/7—a plus for employees who work the second and third shifts.

Unlike old-school vending machines, employees can pick up and read product labels before buying an item. The information on labels allows employees to do the following:

Check expiration dates
Examine ingredient lists and nutritional information
Make an informed purchasing decision based on their taste buds and health goals

Payment Options

Micro-market kiosks offer several convenient payment methods. Options can include mobile payment apps, stored value cards, and credit/debit cards. The old concern about carrying enough cash is gone. With stored value cards, employees can upload cash or credit (at the kiosk or online) and make purchases like they would with a debit or credit card.

Freshness Comes First

Reach-in coolers can hold almost anything. In addition to cold beverages, they hold FRESH food. Delicious sandwiches, healthy salads, parfaits, wraps, and chopped fruit are a few of the choices that could be offered on your break room menu. Employees will be able to enjoy the benefits without ever having to leave the office.

So, what does all of this mean for your Jacksonville business?

Happier and healthier employees
A decrease in extended off-site breaks
An increase in employee efficiency and productivity

Combine them and discover improved workplace morale and a better bottom line.

Do you want to revolutionize your company’s break room? Choose a micro-market by The Vending Station. We will customize a solution that meets your organization’s needs. From offering fresh and healthy meal options to creating a market design that fits your physical space, we can help. Add office coffee service with freshly made coffee and espresso-based beverages and make the break room even more inviting.

For more information about all our break room services, including office coffee service and vending machines, please call us at (407) 891.7632. We look forward to helping you create the perfect break room destination.

Vending Machines Have Value In Orlando

Posted on November 15, 2020December 2, 2020 by Katie Waxman

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.

Jacksonville Break Room Modified for 2020

Your Jacksonville Break Room Can Be Modified for 2020

Posted on October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 by Katie Waxman

The pandemic of 2020 has affected everything work related including the break room experience. For many Jacksonville businesses, the pre-COVID break room was a multi-purpose space that offered both tangible and intangible employee benefits. It was a gathering space, a workspace, and a place to relax as well as being the hub of all things edible. Workplace culture and company morale could be positively impacted by the experiences that employees had there.

Before March of 2020, Jacksonville break rooms were used in many ways including:

buffet-style lunches
free bagels or donuts—something that gets everyone excited in the morning
birthday celebrations with cakes and cookies
on-site café-style coffee menus
catered working lunches
communal kitchens with snacks and beverages
community breakfasts
free snacks, beverages, and fresh food
potluck meals and other holiday celebrations
fresh food and coffee options—encouraging employees to stay on-site and increasing productivity

While many traditional ways of doing things are on hold, at least for now, it doesn’t mean employers and employees are left without options. There are still many ways that employers can safely provide snacks, fresh food, cold beverages, and coffee options that will boost morale and continue to decrease the need to go off-site.

Prepackaged Everything

Rather than offering free donuts in the morning, snacks in bulk, or a shared potluck meal, fresh food and snacks should be prepackaged. Choices such as individually wrapped muffins or donuts, prepackaged mixed nuts, and a prepared salad or sandwich are great options. Fortunately, many employers already have systems in place to provide those types of refreshments.

Additionally, all the products in vending machines and most of the products available in micro-markets are prepackaged. For those products that weren’t prepackaged before March 2020, there are now solutions available and changes that can be made to overcome this obstacle. Employers need to work with their refreshment provider to customize a solution for their specific situation.

Safety Protocols

Implementing a variety of safety precautions connected directly to the break room can not only decrease exposure, but it can also help support company culture. Jacksonville employees who feel that their employer cares about their health and well-being are more likely to be invested in their job and be more productive.

In addition to prepackaged options, break room safety protocols can include directions for picking up or touching items in multiple situations such as using hand sanitizer before touching a kiosk or vending machine or using a paper towel as a barrier when opening a cooler in a micro-market. Extra signs with messages such as “if you touch it, please take it” can help remind everyone to limit the number of items they touch.

Does your Jacksonville break room check off all the boxes? Sorting out the different ways to modify it can be time consuming. The Vending Station can help you figure out the answers, so it meets today’s needs and has the potential to meet tomorrows. We offer customized refreshment menus that will fit your current needs and will work with you to adapt your break room as your employees’ needs change. For more information about our range of services, please call us at (407) 891.7632.

Demand for Coffee Keeps Growing in Orlando

Posted on October 15, 2020October 23, 2020 by Katie Waxman

The effects of COVID-19 continue to impact the break room experience. But even with all the changes, one thing has remained constant: the demand for coffee. Orlando employees still look to their favorite caffeinated beverage for energy boosts and improved focus and productivity. Employers also continue to see office coffee service (OCS) as a tool to keep employees on-site during the workday, both increasing employee productivity and reducing risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Unlike pre-COVID OCS, which encouraged employees to gather in-person for spontaneous collaboration and workplace morale, today’s OCS also needs to support the workplace community while safely offering the same variety of customizable and delicious beverages. Individually packaged lighteners, or creamers, and coffee and tea flavor boosts can help create delicious hot beverages, workplace morale, and a safer break room environment.

Traditional creamers are usually made with dairy and come in popular flavors such as Original, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, and Caramel Macchiato as well as seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Spice, Peppermint Mocha, and Mint Truffle. Plant-based creamers, a 2020 top trend, are often made with almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk. Newcomers to the plant-based category include oat milk and hemp milk. Surprisingly, Datassential, a research firm, found that “more than half of today’s creamer users add plant-based milk or creamer to their coffee.”

Single-serve flavor or spice packets also offer Orlando employees a different way to safely customize their coffee or tea. Options include individual spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or turmeric and combinations such as chai blends and pumpkin spice. In addition to creating a delicious beverage, these spices also offer health benefits. Turmeric, for example, has anti-inflammatory properties while cinnamon has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant properties.

In addition to offering a variety of popular coffee flavorings, OCS providers need to be proactive when it comes to explaining workplace safety measures and product alternatives. For example, at a specific Orlando organization, single-serve products may be a better option while at another, individually packaged items aren’t feasible, and bulk must be used. Employees at both locations need clear and specific instructions about how to safely use the products available to them.

Successful collaboration between employers and refreshment providers has the potential to create flexible break room spaces that are welcoming and safe and offer the snacks, hot and cold beverages, and fresh food that employees want.

The Vending Station is here to help Orlando employers who have employees already back at work and those employers who are figuring out how to bring their employees back. In addition to offering an extensive and customizable refreshment menu, we follow well-established safety protocols to ensure the safety of your employees and ours. For more information about our services and safety policies and procedures, please reach out to us at (407) 891.7632.