Vending machines: The answer to labour woes?

SINGAPORE – Conventional food and drink dispensers may be fairly commonplace across the island, but a new generation of brightly coloured vending machines has gained instant traction. 

Their selling points: convenience, affordability, quality and freshness, similar to what one might get at a hawker stall, bakery or fast-service eatery – an unbeatable combo for busy and hungry people around-the-clock. 

At a time when many F&B businesses are struggling with manpower and rental woes, operating a vending machine has become a way to circumvent this and provide an additional source of revenue. 

The year kicked off with viral durian dispensing machines, which

debuted at Tampines MRT station

in January. Durian seller Kaki Kaki, which ran it, added three more machines in Sembawang, Toa Payoh and Bukit Panjang.

Soon after, queues formed for trendy shio pan from home-grown bakery Butter Town, which sells the Japanese salt bread

from two “shio pan ATMs”

at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre and Hillion Mall.

Next, Johor Bahru’s famed Hiap Joo banana cake crossed the Causeway and was

sold via a vending machine at Senja Hawker Centre

. It now has a second machine at City Square Mall.

Drinks dispensers also hit a new level. Instead of the usual canned options, machines now offer freshly made coffee, tea, smoothies and sugarcane juice, following in the footsteps of

Singapore start-up iJooz

that dispenses orange juice islandwide.

In September, food technology company Aikit

launched its InstaChef machines

islandwide. 

About 120 of these AI-powered smart kitchens prepare meals via induction cooking, resulting in meals deemed of higher quality than microwaved frozen food. 

Working with household names such as Springleaf Prata Place and Warong Pak Sapari also ensures standards and flavours are maintained. Meals cost between $4 and $10 each and portion sizes are comparable to those served in physical stores.

Springleaf Prata Place also has its own prata-in-a-cup dispensing machine, launched in July in MacPherson. 

On Dec 7, 63 vending machines offering essentials and food were

launched at 12 Vending Hubs

in Punggol Shore. The machines are managed by various partners, including retail chain Valu$.

On Dec 16, Muslim-owned Wondertales Patisserie launched its fifth Wondertales Express machine, which churns out desserts such as tartlets and cakes. Besides this new Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre location, its four other machines are in Geylang, Pasir Ris, Tampines and Changi.  

All these add to the wide variety of non-food machines, like those that stock fresh flower bouquets, perfumes and luxury cars.

And now, more attention is being paid to how the machines look. To elevate the space beyond a typical vending machine zone, Singapore company Hypha Self-Serve is collaborating with a local artist to create a dedicated showcase for home-grown brands to offer a community-centric experience, says its founder Serene Ong.

It will launch a cluster of five machines at Our Tampines Hub come January.  This is the company behind the popular Butter Town bakery’s “shio pan ATM” and Uncle Lee Confectionery cake machine at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre. 

Besides Hiap Joo’s banana cake, its Tampines vending machines will also dispense Swiss rolls, panna cotta and pineapple tarts, the last just in time for Chinese New Year.