Farmer's Fridge
Health food restaurant · Goose Island ·
Fresh, healthy salads and snacks from convenient vending machines
Fresh, healthy salads and snacks from convenient vending machines
"Salad vending machines might not sound as exciting as candy vending machines, but we’ll reluctantly admit they’re better for us. The Farmer’s Fridge crew makes freshly made salads available out of vending machines at reasonable prices. Healthy and you don’t have to interact with humans? Win-win. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Team Infatuation
"Founded in Chicago in 2013 by Luke Saunders, the company pioneered making salads, wraps, and bowls available via high-tech vending machines placed in everyday venues such as airports, hospitals, convention centers and university campuses. Its hyper-modern fridges—sloped metal boxes with windows—use software to log temperatures every five minutes and halt vending above 40°F, which reduces the need for preservatives and helps maintain food safety at scale. The business emphasizes sourcing from independent purveyors, has collaborated with well-known chefs on limited-run items (including a chile-braised pork bowl and a Hong Kong noodle bowl), and grew to operate more than 750 machines with placements in major retailers and airport concessionaires. The pandemic temporarily wiped out most revenue, prompting a rapid home-delivery pivot that restored revenue to near pre-pandemic levels by May 2020 and enabled 400,000 donated meals; the delivery program has since ended but the company continues partnering with Feeding America. The founder notes that some of the most valued locations are 24/7 sites—VA hospitals, first-responder dispatch centers and night-shift call centers—where access to healthier grab-and-go options is most needed." - Naomi Waxman
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