According to internal industry estimates, just under 600,000 beverage and food vending machines are operated in Germany. Around 16% of these are for the sale of snacks and food. However, the Corona crisis is not only likely to have increased the total number of food and beverage vending machines. The percentage distribution between hot beverage vending machines, cold beverage vending machines and snack and food vending machines will also be redistributed.

The latter in particular are becoming increasingly important in company cafeterias when it comes to catering for employees. In addition, the change in nutrition is noticeable: The call for regional and fresh products is becoming louder and louder - also in communal catering.
For a long time, however, vending machine c atering and healthy nutrition were in stark contrast.

New generation of vending machines and ordering processes

Healthy and balanced nutrition is no longer a trend, but a conscious change. Both our partners and we at kamasys have adapted to this: Customers can already easily offer regional and fresh products via vending machines - and increasingly packaged sustainably.
This is made possible above all by the possibility of pre-ordering products via the lunch app. Taking into account order acceptance and cancellation deadlines, customers can select items from the menu or the available assortment, book them, and pay for them using the desired payment method. The freshly prepared meals can then only be picked up from the vending machine during a defined period.

Demand driven production

For the caterer, this has a decisive advantage: he knows in advance the demand for certain dishes and can stock the vending machines according to need. This minimizes the risk of food remaining in the vending machine for too long, not being picked up and ultimately spoiling. Of course, there is still room to stock the vending machine with additional products for spontaneous purchases.

Presentation of 24/7 vending machine catering at Intergastra 2021

QR code links order, pickup and return.

It is not only the possibility of filling vending machines according to demand that is accelerating the change from junk food to good food in the vending segment.
Modern vending machines further expand the options. Thanks to their lift system, lift vending machines are particularly well suited for foods that need to be handled gently, such as salads and fruit, or products in glass packaging. Freezer and microwave vending machines, on the other hand, expand the options for round-the-clock catering by heating food quickly and easily. Moreover, with return vending machines, the reusable tableware used can be returned directly after use and - after cleaning - is immediately available to the cycle again.
All of this can be linked via our lunch app using a QR code: the code is generated when the order is placed. By holding it out at the vending machine when picking up, the order is recognized and dispensed. The microwave module in turn recognizes the dish on the basis of the QR code and heats it automatically accordingly. When the reusable dish is returned, it is also assigned to the customer via the code.

"24/7 vending machine catering: From Junk Food to Good Food."

Regiomat: fresh products around the clock

Regiomat shows how versatile the possibilities are for selling fresh produce via vending machines. The project brings together the wide range of products offered by numerous direct marketers in Germany. Using the Regiomat app, customers can place an order with a nearby direct marketer and then pick up the products at a later date from the corresponding vending machine.
This makes it possible, for example, to spontaneously order and pick up fresh grilled meat or eggs from the farmer around the corner on Sundays.

Conclusion: Healthy employee catering is also possible via vending machines

It's not for nothing that snack vending machines are considered the smallest canteens in the world. However, their image is changing: smart technology and the right networking mean that customers in the vending segment can also be fed healthy and fresh products. The change to Lunch 4.0 has thus long been heralded. At the same time, it also promotes the health of employees. The time of day now only plays a subordinate role.