An Upgraded Office Vending Machine

More and more offices these days, especially those high-tech startups, use food as an incentive to lure and retain employees. A new French startup, Foodles, profiled in TechCrunch, uses connected fridges to “hack” the traditional vending machine and food delivery services. 

The company delivers fresh food every morning into smart fridges in your office. Employees can then buy cheap lunches using a card or a phone. Instead of delivering individual meals, Foodles delivers enough meals for the entire staff of your company. 

In France, employees expect companies to provide a way to have lunch without spending a small fortune. Smaller companies usually hand out meal vouchers to subsidize everyone’s lunch, as the cost to run an in-office canteen or kitchen is too expensive.  That’s exactly whom Foodles wants to serve.  For $3,400 per month Foodles comes and installs a fridge in your office and delivers dozens of meals to your office every day with a refrigerated truck. Every week, you will get new food options, can make special requests and can even order vegetarian options.   

Overall, it costs less than $6 to eat from the Foodles fridge. You scan your card, open the fridge and Foodles will automatically bill your account, as there are RFID chips in all packages. 

This concept is ripe for expansion beyond offices – practically everywhere there's a vending machine – but also think about the possibilities in c-stores, grocerants and other foodservice operations … and then there's the idea to tie it into SNAP benefits to ensure that recipients are eating healthfully.