The Fresh Vending Podcast

Most universities have the same problem: Students want food after dining halls close. In this episode, we break down the four most common ways campuses handle late-night dining demand, from extended dining hall hours and convenience stores to vending machines and delivery apps. We discuss why labor—not food—is usually the real constraint, what we've learned from deployments at universities ac...

Launching a smart fridge microstore sounds simple. Place fridge. Stock food. Start selling. In reality, most operators make the same few mistakes early — and those mistakes compound fast. In this episode, we break down the 3 biggest mistakes we see in unattended food retail and smart fridge deployments:  Choosing the wrong locations   Underestimating operations and logistics   Scaling before the m...

Vending is not what it used to be. In this episode, we discuss how the frontier of food retail is unattended , how vending companies are trying to adapt, and how most are failing . 🧠 What makes a smart fridge smart? We break down what constitutes a true smart fridge and what is just a cooler with a credit card reader slapped onto it. 🍦 The Provisions Suite: Sell ANY product 24/7 We introduce our...

What happens when you combine the security of Amazon Go , the variety of a micromarket , and the flexibility and food safety of a smart fridge ? You get FoodSpot’s new Provisions Suite — the next generation of unattended retail. In this episode, we explore how the Provisions Suite enables 24/7 access to any type of product anywhere — from gyms and universities to hospitals and office campuses. We...

Higher ed campuses and hospitals represent the largest market for smart coolers due to... The command audience that need 24/7 smart coolers The existing foodservice that can stock the coolers The existing buildings to place the coolers in In this episode, we discuss how higher ed and healthcare institutions are using smart vending platforms and outline best practices for launching one on your camp...

Are you considering launching a smart cooler for your food business?  In this episode, we give a market analysis, give an overview of smart coolers, outline the different types of smart cooler technologies, and discuss how to choose the right one to sell your food 24/7. If you're interested in learning more, feel free to reach out here or at hello@launchfoodspot.com! Watch the episode here! h...

What are smart fridges used for? And how much can they profit?  Operators use smart fridges to solve many different problems, and therefore achieve varying levels of profitability. In this episode, we discuss different smart fridge applications, including Revenue Generating Microstore 24/7 Food Pantry Pure Amenity ... We give a realistic range of revenue numbers based on data from our own clients...

Smart vending is fairly new in the United States. In this episode, we discuss the five biggest mistakes operators make in researching, launching, and operating a smart vending solution. Watch this episode on Youtube. If you have questions about operating a smart vending technology, we'd love to hear from you! You can reach out at hello@launchfoodspot.com For more information about smart fridg...

23% of college students face food insecurity. Many campus programs and resources are being established to help solve this issue but are mostly geared toward undergraduate students. What about adult learners coming back for education after years away? Dr. Anita Hicks is the Associate Director of Auxiliary Services at Oakland University and has spent much of her research career studying food insecur...

In this episode, we discuss how a fresh food smart vending solution needs three components to succeed: an app, the hardware, and a dashboard. We discuss how this looks in a smart fridge operation. App: You need a brand-forward experience that connects you to your customers 24/7. Hardware: You need a smart fridge that suits your brand image and unattended retail application (snacks/convenience stor...

There is an abundance of fresh food in the US – more than enough to end food insecurity – but there's a distribution problem. In this episode, Isaac and Nathan discuss... America's fresh food distribution problem anecdotes of food insecurity the difference between food security and food equity the 3 pillars of food equity how fresh food companies can address shrinkage, contribute to food...

"Brain food" is a common term thrown around schools and workplaces, but what foods actually improve cognitive performance? In this episode of The Fresh Vending Podcast, a neuroscience junkie sits down with a professional chef to discuss some science-backed principles. Isaac Wu and Nathan Downs discuss how, even though different people can see vastly different results from the same food r...

Coffee had 3 waves: it started in a can, moved to a cafe, and now it's a craft. We argue food vending has had 3 waves, too. In this episode, we distinguish Third-Wave Vending – modern unattended fresh food solutions – from its predecessors. We discuss how this has opened unattended retail up to more operators, from large foodservice firms and mom-and-pop shops to farmers and fishermen. If you...

Nathan and Isaac discuss the 6 different retail smart fridge manufacturers in the US. They also discuss what attributes to look for in a fresh food retail smart fridge solution depending on your fresh food business, including size, design, data security, and more. Learn more about fresh food microstores: https://www.launchfoodspot.com/blog Get in touch: hello@launchfoodspot.com Watch the episode h...

FoodTech is popping up everywhere, but only some of will stick. In this episode, we discuss promising foodservice technology that is being adopted among institutions, food chains, and influencers. Some of the FoodTech we discuss:  Mobile Ordering: Grubhub Campus  Robot Delivery: Grubhub & Starship Fresh Food Vending: Farmer's Fridge Robotics: Jamba + Blendid Robotics:  Chowbotics Food Loc...

How much does a smart vending platform cost? Where can I go to research smart vending? How do I pitch locations? We discuss these questions and more in our latest episode of the Fresh Vending Podcast. There are a dozen turnkey smart vending platforms in the U.S. Follow Nathan Downs and Isaac Wu on the Fresh Vending Podcast to learn if smart vending is right for you. Sources in this episode: The Sp...

In this episode, we discuss the long-term effects the pandemic is having on foodservice. We cover shifts in labor supply, digitization of brands, ghost kitchens, FoodTech, and other topics. In an industry still recovering from the affects of COVID-19, operators are faced with heavier costs and larger shifts in consumer behavior than every before. Food operators are adopting new technologies, busin...

Join us as we discuss topics anyone should consider when opening a smart vending business: Why is the U.S. so slow to adopt smart vending? How much is it to operate an RFID fridge? How much revenue can a fridge generate? Does one need a whole fleet of smart fridges? Watch the episode: https://youtu.be/y7GADbwjrB4 Learn more about smart vending: launchfoodspot.com Reach out to get started in smart...

In this episode, we talk about choosing the right smart vending platform and researching the best location for your smart vending machine. Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/UmAabN3Uyc4 Connect with us: hello@launchfoodspot.com Learn more about smart vending: launchfoodspot.com https://launchfoodspot.com/

In this episode, we discuss what smart vending is and its importance in the modern foodservice industry. We outline the problem that smart vending solves and give examples of smart vending hardware and software. We also give some background on ourselves, and share why we both got into smart vending.  Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/vNwhD7O_xyI We'd love to hear from you! You can reach us...