Refrigerated food. Sandwiches, salads, fresh meals.

Fresh food vending lives or dies on delivery cadence.

Unlike snacks or drinks that have months of shelf life, fresh food vending requires a real cold-chain partner — typically 2–3 deliveries per week. Before you spec the machine, lock down who's stocking it and how often.

• 01
  Existing café partnerUniversities and hospitals usually contract with their existing dining services to stock the machine. Easy path.
• 02
  Local commissaryOperators run their own meal-prep kitchen 2–3x/week. Higher margin but higher operational burden.
• 03
  Wholesale partnerCompanies like Farmer's Fridge or local sandwich vendors deliver pre-packaged items on a schedule.
• 04
  Plan for shrinkBudget 8–12% shrink for unsold items. AI Smart cooler analytics cut this in half by predicting demand.