News

New tastes, technology spawn new world of self-service

July 14, 2014

"Champagne wishes and caviar dreams" aren't out of reach in the new dawn of kiosks. The latest advances in self-service food reveal a line of extravagant items that are replacing the images of junk food we once associated with vending machines, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

At the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California, tourists can pay up to $1,000 for tins of caviar from a kiosk. Customers can be found buying burritos, cupcakes, organic foods and more with new vending technology.

These high-tech machines often accept credit and debit cards and have Wi-Fi enabled touchscreens.

“There is a lot of innovation happening in vending machines. It’s occurring in niche markets like organic foods, propelled forward by access to new technology and convenience," IBISWorld industry research analyst Omar Khedr told the newspaper.

Consumers have grown accustomed to the variety and accessibility of mobile and Internet shopping. Out of their experiences, demands for high quality convenient foods are driving recent industry innovations. 

"Vending Machines: Coined Consumerism" author Christopher Salyers said, “It’s a case of technological innovation at an affordable price. The Internet has only proliferated this worldview of pay-and-click consumers.”

After a five year decline, U.S. vending machine sales are predicted to make a comeback in 2014. Revenue is expected to rise to $7.7 billion dollars by 2019. 

The U.S. is finally catching up to the novel kiosks of Europe and Asia, known for vending gold bars, eggs, live beetles and heads of lettuce, according to Knoxville News Sentinel. 

"Cupcake ATMs" by Sprinkles Cupcakes are being introduced at their 16 nationwide bakeries.  Momentum Machines, a San Francisco company, intends to install customized self-service burger kiosks. And Denis Koci's Box Brands introduced six "Star Trek" inspired Burritobox machines, which include vegan and side options like sour cream and guacamole. 

Koci plans to install Pizzabox machines within six months that bake pies at 800 degrees. 

"The goal is to do what they do in fast food restaurants inside a machine," Koci told the newspaper.

Healthier and high quality vending options are popping up in schools too. Jamba Juice installed JambaGo last year in hundreds of schools around the country. 

"There is a huge opportunity to offer healthier alternatives to kids," Jamba Juice CEO James White said in the article. "It's about making the brand more accessible."