4 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Vending Machines.

A happy team is typically a productive team, and by offering a great range of food and drink products from vending machines in the workplace, staff are far more likely to feel valued and will enjoy having easy access to their favourites.

Let’s be honest, we’ve all had moments when we’ve been hungry, thirsty or felt a dip in our energy levels during the work day. Being able to take a short walk to the vending machine and get access to not just confectionary, but healthy snacks, means you can deal with your frustrations quickly and move on with your day.

This also comes with the added benefit of keeping more of your staff on-site during lunch breaks, something which has particular importance if the office is in a rural location and access to high street food and drink options is limited. With the extensive range of products available in fresh food vending machines in today’s world, most employees will be able to find food that suits their needs without leaving the building.

We’ve written several articles on why Micro Markets are the future of vending and we strongly believe that most businesses with 100+ will move to an unattended retail solution like this in the next decade.

Long gone are the days of vending machines for fresh food being unappetising and expensive. With modern solutions such as smart fridges and Micro Markets, quality fresh food is back on the menu and can deliver substantial cost savings against traditional catering setups.

Products you can expect from one of these setups include fresh paninis, toasties, salad bowls, breakfast items such as bacon and sausage baps, sandwiches and wraps. As the market for on-the-go food in the workplace grows, so does the product range, and now suppliers are able to provide noodle and rice bowls and more complex complete meals to help organisations offer a lunch offering with real variety and quality.

For businesses that are looking to move premises, or downsize their existing property footprint, Micro Markets and fresh food vending machines are also great for packing a punch in a smaller space than catering – there’s simply no need for entire kitchens and prep areas for fresh food, as a cold storage area and food heating bay are all that’s needed to deliver great hot options.

You also have the flexibility to add great quality office coffee machines and cold drink vending machines alongside fresh food, to really add value over and above what was available with the catering setup.

One thing you’re sure to benefit from with snack vending for the workplace is the security of having the complete product range behind a glass panel, and a secure and effective payment system, whether via coin payment or contactless card payment. If you’re currently relying on a staff tuck shop, you will see less unintentional theft and loss of products.

With this physical barrier between product and consumer, there’s far less chance of contaminants or other external environmental factors having an impact on the hygiene and food safety levels of the products held in the vending machine. If your vending machines are dealt with through a fully managed vending service, you will also benefit from having an experienced machine operator manage and rotate your stock, and clean the machine from top to bottom, on a regular basis.

Compared with manned solutions, vending machines offer far greater flexibility as they require very little human interaction to keep operating around the clock. In settings where catering has been replaced with Micro Markets, organisations have been able to deliver a greater quality of food and drink provision across a complete set of shift patterns, something with particular importance in manufacturing environments.

It’s been known for a long time that having comfortable and enticing staff breakout areas within workplaces encourages and stimulates conversation, helping teams collaborate more naturally and productively than they otherwise would. Coffee plays a huge part in drawing staff into these areas, with high quality coffee making a trip to a breakout area very much worthwhile.

Water coolers still have their place in the office, but deeper conversations and collaboration takes place in dedicated spaces for consuming hot drinks and spending time with colleagues.

Caffeine has been a crucial part of driving productivity in businesses for more than half a century, firstly with tea as the predominant drink and in recent years with coffee as a driver for staff. This has been more important with the rise of high street coffee chains, and the subsequent raising of coffee standards in the workforce as a result of this improved access to quality beverages.

We’ve been delivering great quality, great value vending machines for the workplace across the UK for over 25 years, and would love to speak to you about your requirements. We take a consultative approach will always work collaboratively to find the best solution for your workplace and workforce.

Why not give us a call on 01865 341011 or contact us to find out more about how we can help you meet your goals and overcome your challenges.