Sometimes, you just have to see it to believe it. So let’s check out the Top 10
Vending Machine Foods You Won't Believe Exist.
Forget about chocolate bars and chips, there are some crazy things being sold in these machines.
Pizza
Pizza is one of the most popular fast food items in the world, so seeing pizza-by-the-slice in
a vending machine is not that crazy, and it certainly sounds like something people would
be willing to try at least once. Pizza vending machines have even started to crop up in Rome, one
of the great cities for real authentic pizza, with the "Mr. Go Pizza" machine. Let's just say
it has prompted both praise and outcries of horror in equal measure among Italians. But,
it’s also been rather popular, showing that when people are in need of a quick pizza,
nothing can stop them. Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong with this concept. Once you order the pizza,
the machine takes all of three minutes to deliver you a hot pizza pie, and the cost is pretty cheap
too. Most of these pizza vending machines offer pizzas for under five dollars, and if you’re after
a cheap meal, you might find yourself in heaven. The machine will knead the dough, sauce the pizza,
add the toppings, and cook it in the oven. If you are a pizza aficionado and love a real fresh pie,
you might find yourself living in a dream. Plus, it’s probably better than those frozen
concoctions you would make at home, so a pizza vending machine was bound to satisfy a
large number of customers. And so far, it seems to have worked out pretty well.
Cupcake ATM
Formerly found only in Beverly Hills and Chicago, Cupcake ATMs were a natural extension of the
crazy rise in the popularity of cupcakes. It was basically only a matter of time before someone
somewhere invented the perfect way to get cupcakes - at any hour of the day. Many people in American
cities have been forced to stand in, or at least witness massive lines in front of bakeries,
of hungry customers vying for a fresh-baked batch. So why not diminish the lines a bit to
make way for those hungry customers? Apparently, the cupcakes from the ATM are baked fresh and
restocked daily, so it’s more than likely that the cupcakes found within them are pretty delicious.
It will also save you some time and the jostling of a busy bakery line, which is always a plus.
The technology is fairly simple but also pretty genius. Basically, you can order a cupcake,
which comes in its own little box, and a giant robot arm suctions the cupcake up and delivers
it to you in the vending machine window - kind of like a fairy cupcake godmother.
Debuted in 2012 by the Sprinkles cupcakes chain, the cupcake ATMs have undoubtedly been one of
the main drivers behind this concept, and so far, so good. They have provided countless thousands,
if not more, with the sugary fix they crave, and they show no signs of slowing down.
Burgers
Forget about coffee, soda, and snack vending machines; this is the new favorite:
a burger vending machine. Over are the days when you needed to wait in line at a fast-food place,
now, you can get your fast food fix right out of a machine. There are many of these
machines around the world, but one of the most notorious ones has got the be Febo, in Amsterdam.
Even though it's considered more of a walk-up fast food restaurant than a vending machine,
the concept stays the same: you get your food from a machine. You can find every Dutch fried
food you could ever think of, including delicious burgers. Around since the 1960s,
there are about sixty FEBOs in the Netherlands, twenty-seven of which are found in Amsterdam.
The machines are made with glass-paneled contraptions and contactless payment panels:
some still have slots for coins and only accept cash. After you've paid for your food,
the machine unlocks the specific item you purchased and gives you access to it. The
vending machines are restocked when necessary, and the food is cooked by the store's employees.
In fact, the food at FEBO is usually pretty fresh, considering items only stay for a couple
of minutes in the machine before they're sold. In Japan, it's the Tateishi Burger that's the
favorite burger dispenser. The eat-in bakery features a handmade burger vending machine
outside of its store from which visitors can buy burgers, pizza, and sandwiches.
Pecan Pie
Sometimes, you simply don't have time to make it to the bakery. Whether it's because of traffic or
inconvenient opening hours, if you can't get there fast enough, you're out of luck - usually. If
you're in Cedar Creek, for instance, you no longer need to race to beat the clock - you can just get
your favorite pie right out of the vending machine outside Berdoll Pecan Farm. Since the pecan
pies from Berdoll Pecan Farm were in such high demand and people just couldn't enough of them,
it decided to cater to pie-lovers around the clock. Located out front at the Berdoll Pecan
Candy & Gift Company shop is a 24-hour vending machine which dispenses freshly baked pies and
other sweet pecan treats such as chocolate-covered pecans, even when the brick-and-mortar store is
closed. Even though everything sold in the vending machine is delicious, it's the pecan
pies that steal the show every time. Thought to be the only one of its kind in the United States,
the dessert dispensing machine offers customers full-size pies for $17.50,
which is only $3 dollars more than when you buy them directly inside the store.
It's restocked every single day, and even more around the holidays when the dessert
drastically grows in popularity. To find this unique pecan-pie vending machine,
all you need to do is head east on Highway 71 until you see the giant, 14-foot-tall
squirrel statue holding a pecan. Ms. Pearl the squirrel is a roadside attraction all on its own.
Raw Meat
It’s no surprise that vending machines offering raw meat exist in two countries with a huge
allegiance to meat. As crazy as it might sound, raw meat vending machines do exist in the US and
France. America’s versions of the vending machines offer multiple types of protein like pork, beef,
lamb, ground meats, sausage, and even fresh steaks - all perfect for the grill. They cater more to
barbecue lovers and those who simply don’t have time to get to a butcher or a supermarket on their
way home. In Paris, you can find vending machines stocked with incredible cuts like entrecote or
fixings for your own take-home tartare. The offerings are more decadent - there have even
been reports of foie gras vending machines found within the country.
Needless to say, the world has obviously reached the peak convenience factor when
you can make your own raw steak tenderloin tartare bought from a vending machine. The
concept has been tested in various countries, but the only places it seems to have stuck
are in the US and France, which makes sense given the all-around love and appreciation of
a good cut of meat in these countries. Luxury and convenience have never been so in demand!
Make-Your-Own Ice Cream
On hot summer days, one of the best ways to treat yourself is with ice cream.
Whether it's in a cone, a bowl, or any other kind of vessel, you can never go wrong with ice cream.
Usually, to get your hands on the tasty treat, you would have to go to an ice cream parlor or
buy an entire pint at the grocery store. However, there was a time back in the day when you could
get your frozen fix from a vending machine. And it wasn't somewhere far away, no, it was right here
in America! Moo Bella was a touch-screen vending machine that provided the lucky buyers with quick,
fresh, hard-scooped ice cream on-demand. You could choose between a total of 96 different
combinations, from two varieties - Premium or Light - with three mix-ins and 12 flavors,
ensuring you'd always have something to suit your craving of the moment. In just under 40 seconds,
you could get the perfect ice cream cup made from all-natural, real dairy ingredients. Each
machine could dispense around 200 servings before they needed to be refilled and didn't require any
expensive refrigeration. Nowadays, there are plenty of companies that decided to take the
idea and create their own ice cream vending machines, from soft-serve to store-bought,
which gives people even more opportunities to enjoy a little cool pick-me-up everywhere they go.
French Fries
The idea of pulling an order of fries out of a vending machine might be off-putting
to some people, and it's pretty understandable why. It’s hard to imagine a great set of fried
potatoes sitting sadly in the vending machine, soggily waiting for somebody to buy them. However,
there is one company that found a way to keep the fries fresh before they're served to you,
and it's a total gamechanger. Netherlands-based startup Caenator is the brains behind this wacky
vending machine creation and has successfully designed and implemented it with the help of
Start Life and Wageningen University and Research Centre. The fully automatic machine has a 32-inch
touchscreen from which you can order your French fries, as well as the optional mayonnaise,
curry sauce, or ketchup. The fries are deep-fried in about 110 seconds and dispensed in a paper cup,
with salt and fork supplied in a separate box. According to the company, the entire operation
is apparently noiseless and odorless, thanks to its proprietary odor-scrubbing system. How clever!
Eventually, the concept took off, and other companies began experimenting with giving
people their French fry fix without having to wait in line at a counter somewhere. This might
be considered the holy grail of vending machines for those with a constant fast food craving.
Crab
China and Japan have the edge when it comes to wacky vending machine items,
but this one takes the cake. Entire crab, caught fresh and filled into vending machines each day in
Chinese subway stations, are actually a thing, and apparently, they are wildly popular, too.
Usually sold with accompaniments, like sauce and tea, they are a fast way for people on the
go to get their crab fix. This is probably not something most people in the world think they
need as a snack on a day-to-day basis, but it's still nice to know it's a possibility. Admittedly,
it’s kind of an odd sight to see a vending machine full of fishy-smelling crustaceans,
but at least they are fresh. The machines keep an internal temperature of 41F in order
to keep the crabs in hibernation without killing them. If you receive a dead crab,
you will be compensated with three live ones, courtesy of the company. When you take away
the weirdness of seeing a crab-filled vending machine, at the end of the day, who wouldn’t
want to give this a try - just for the curiosity factor alone? Tons and tons of crab are consumed
and enjoyed throughout the world, so if somebody wants to put in the work to stock
a vending machine with these creatures on a daily basis, we are not going to complain.
Mashed Potatoes
Singapore is known for being a quiet, conservative haven for many people,
but its vending machines tell a completely different story. The vending machines of Singapore
are completely insane and deserve some attention. Indeed, Singapore is quietly becoming known
for its wacky vending machine culture. Mashed potatoes in a vending machine are no easy feat:
it's not something many people would ever want out of a machine, but yet,
at 7-Elevens around Singapore, vending machines have been spewing out exactly that: mashed,
seasoned potatoes in the same way many people would get their Big Gulps. The mashed potatoes
that pour from this machine come with a massive heaping of gravy, which only works to make it
doubly intriguing. This retrofitted Slurpee-like machine seems to have all the answers,
as BBQ versions of this mash exist aside from the regular gravy option, making it double trouble for
potato lovers. Just don’t ask exactly what’s in these mashed potatoes since anything that comes
sliding out of a machine at 7-Eleven is likely to be highly processed. But on the other hand,
mashed potatoes out of a machine is so cool that it deserves to be tried at least once.
Lettuce
A Japanese company decided that making sure its customers had full access to
healthy produce outweighed the $90,000 cost of installing a vending machine that only sold
freshly grown lettuce. This vending machine, known locally as the ‘Chef’s Farm,’ can grow
up to sixty full heads of lettuce a day using fluorescent light bulbs. The lettuce
is otherwise grown in complete darkness, with only the artificial lighting to help it grow,
and by all accounts, this method totally works when it comes to growing and selling fresh food.
Japan has rolled out different gardening vending machines over the years, with this company selling
not only lettuce but other fresh farm vegetables too: a huge benefit for health-food lovers.
The product is achieved by simple farming engineering,
using rows of metal frames to house nutrient-rich beds of soil and fertilizer,
explicitly designed for growing vegetables using artificial light. And these babies grow really,
really fast - whatever is in the fertilizer ensures the plants will always be there for
customer consumption. The sight of rows of fresh lettuce in a vending machine is truly something
to behold, as the vending machine looks more like a futuristic farm than something resembling
a generic vending machine, but it meets every health requirement and people seem to like it too.
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