Choosing Between Vending, Micro Markets, and Pantry Service: 7 Things to Consider

One of the most straightforward factors in your decision will be what type of meal, snack and drink options you want to offer. Is it snack food, full meals, or maybe just coffee? Consider whether employees have local options for lunch, or have time to go out to eat.

Some of the other factors below will help you determine the right approach, but your choice between traditional vending, micro markets, or pantry service will center on the kind of foods and beverages you ultimately want to provide.

How many people work at your location(s)? How long are typical shifts? How long are breaks and meal times? If employees are pressed for time and it’s better for them to stay onsite, a pantry or micro market may be a better option for daily meals. Generally, locations with 100 employees or fewer are good candidates for vending, 100 or more for micro markets, and at least 50 for pantry service.

Depending on the nature of your business, you may have people other than your staff that come to your location(s). For example, guests staying at a hotel, clients coming into the office for meetings, patients and family members at a hospital or nursing facility, and so on. Will you want to offer some sort of food and beverage option for them? This is largely dependent on the experience you want to offer to non-employees who come to your place of work.

If there is limited space to dedicate, vending may be a better option due to its smaller footprint. While micro markets and pantry services need a larger dedicated space, a vending provider like Florida Fresh can work with you to tailor a solution that best fits your location.

Also consider whether there is a centralized break room, which would be better served by markets or pantry, compared to decentralized break areas, where vending would be the best choice.

Lastly, some vending areas are exposed to the elements (such as the outdoor corridor of a school building). In these cases, traditional vending machines are usually the wisest option.

As a company, you can choose whether you want vending machines or micro markets to require your employees or customer to pay for products – alternatively, you can opt to make all products available to them for free and be billed for the cost. Some companies give a certain amount of monthly credits that employees can spend in the micro market or on pantry items. The approach you choose to take depends on your budget and the perks and experience you want to provide.

Speaking of employee experience, consider the impact of different snack and meal options on your staff’s day-to-day. Offering a range of healthy, fresh options for meals and snacks (potentially at no cost to your workers) can be a perk that differentiates you as an employer and helps with employee engagement and retention.

Food and drink options can have a surprising impact on company culture. Is motivating spontaneous collaboration in the workplace important to you? If so, pantry service or a micro market may be a better option than traditional vending, as it creates more of a gathering place for employees to meet and share ideas.

With the above considerations in mind, let’s look at some pros and cons of each option. And remember, more than one could potentially work – for example, if you have multiple locations or a large campus, the right choice could be both a micro market and traditional vending machines.

Vending

Pros

• Free to you (unless you opt to let employees and customers vend for free, and absorb the cost)
• Quick to get set up
• Can fit small spaces
• Work well for decentralized break areas and outdoor locations

Cons

• Usually have limited variety
• Some will “eat” coins and bills (unless you successful vend technology)

Micro Markets

Pros

• More variety and more fresh, healthy foods
• Visually appealing
• Beneficial for employees that need to eat meals onsite
• Coolers make it easy for employees to bring lunch from home and supplement with beverages, fresh fruit, yogurt, etc.
• Can be used with a cafeteria or on its own
• Great perk for employee engagement or guest/customer convenience

Cons

• Uses more space than vending machines
• Cost of employee credits, should you choose to offer them
• Greater risk of theft if security measures are not in place

Pantry Service

Pros

• Next-level perk that can be a real differentiator as you compete for talent
• Can prompt spontaneous collaboration and improve productivity
• Ideal for more professional workforces in tech or creative industries

Cons

• Like a micro market, needs a larger dedicated space
• More of an ongoing investment

Now that you know the pros and cons, as well as key factors in choosing between vending, micro markets, and pantry service, which option (or combination of options) makes the most sense for you? The experts at Florida Fresh are always ready to help determine the best solution for your business based on your location, employees, and unique needs. Get in touch with us to design your solution today.