HOT FOOD VENDING
Hot meals for key workers
Vending is a key channel in making food and drink easily available to consumers and it is proving to be an essential service during the COVID-19 outbreak. Here VI looks at how vending is stepping up to the mark to keep healthcare, logistics and distribution staff sustained.
I
t has been widely reported that key staff are worked off their feet
across the country as they care for the sick or work tirelessly to ensure shelves are stocked and essential services can continue. While these workers have
little time to stop for a meal, now is not the time to put their own health and well- being at risk. Having access to hot, tasty and nutritious meals is vital – cue vending. Bon Appetit prides itself on being one of the UK’s top hot food vending services for the workplace providing 24/7 access to hot, tasty and nutritious food. It does this through its low cost, automated catering service, delivered with the latest frozen vending machine, scanner microwave and contactless payment technology. It currently provides its service to companies such as Amazon,
Eddie Stobart, Rolls Royce, Nestle and many more, but most importantly its hot food vending service can be found in around 70 NHS hospitals with that number increasing rapidly. Prior to the virus outbreak, the company was already a key
provider to the NHS in supplying automated catering services that satisfied CQUIN 1b with the requirement to provide a healthy hot food service for doctors and nurses outside of conventional catering hours. However, throughout the COVID-19 crisis it is not quite business
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as usual, with Bon Appetit experiencing a substantial increase in demand for its hot food vending service for NHS hospitals. Chad Heinemann, national sales director says: “In the final 10 days
of March we installed our service and equipment in Great Western Hospital, Swindon, the Horton General Hospital, Banbury, and the Sheffield Children’s Hospital and as demand increases, we continue to prioritise the NHS.” But with COVID-19, the challenge is even greater with new solutions and flexibility required. Chad explains: “We are being more flexible in responding to hospital requests such as shorter- term contracts, or putting our machines on ‘Free Vend’ for hospitals that want to subsidise the food for their staff; as well setting the machines to be on at certain times of the day; or for certain shift patterns.”
OPPORTUNITY Known for its recognisable hot noodle kiosks, Mr Lee’s Pure Foods has had to contend with many of its sites being shut down due to the coronavirus lockdown measures, but believes that now, more than ever, vending machines represent an essential service for key workers. Martin Verspeak, COO at Mr
Lee’s Pure Foods says: “Here at Mr Lee’s we have had to face obstacles and challenges created by the COVID-19
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