The 20 Coolest Vending Machines From Around The World
It's More Than Just KitKat And Lay's
Vending machines have been around since the early 20th century but in the last 20 years, they've taken off in surprising ways, answering the need for convenient on-the-go food options in our increasingly fast-paced world. In Japan, where vending machines are anything but scarce, you can get cake in a can, and in France, they've got gourmet cheese vending machines. Even more surreal are farm-fresh egg vending machines sprinkled around the English countryside. What would you eat out of a vending machine? What wouldn't you? Here are 20 of the most interesting ones in the world.
1. France: Baguette Vending Machine
It’s no surprise that France being the bread nation that it is has baguette vending machines. You never know when an emergency picnic should arise and you’re tasked with picking up some fresh bread when all the bakeries are closed.
Jean-Pierre Bazard Jpbazard on Wikimedia
2. Japan: Cake In A Can Vending Machine
Vending machines are perhaps more popular in Japan than any other country, with more than 5 and a half million planted throughout the nation. You can get extremely tasty cake in a can for when you hit that unexpected afternoon slump and need your sugar fill.
3. Germany: Beer Vending Machine
No one nation takes beer quite as seriously as Germany. There, you can find beer vending machines in subway stations, and you better believe they’re stocked with some of the finest beer you can buy.
4. Italy: Pizza Vending Machine
In Italy, you can find hot pizza vending machines that assemble and cook pizzas in an infrared oven. If there wasn’t a window where you could watch the pies being cooked, we’d be convinced that there’s actually just a little old Italian pizzaiolo laboring away inside the machine.
5. Australia: French Fry Vending Machine
Australia was the first nation to come up with a vending machine that dispenses hot fries, or chips as the Australians would say. The Netherlands followed suit with their own prototype that also lets you choose from many different sauce options.
Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose fon Wikimedia
6. Japan: Sake Vending Machine
One of the early examples of a vending machine found in Japan in the early 20th century dispensed a traditional dry wine made of rice called sake. It’s unclear whether these still exist but given the variety of things you can get in vending machines in Japan, we wouldn’t be surprised.
7. Japan: Curry Vending Machine
In Japan, you can get hot Japanese curries with different flavors and spice levels from vending machines. We bet they’re delicious too.
8. USA: Burger Vending Machine
The American company RoboBurger created the first burger vending machine in 2022. You may be skeptical, but the robot reportedly serves up restaurant-quality burgers in just six minutes. Beat that McDonald’s!
9. Japan: Sushi Vending Machine
We weren’t kidding when we said Japan really loves its vending machines. You can even get high-quality fresh sushi from one in case you need to grab some lunch on the go.
10. USA: Steak Vending Machine
You may associate steak dinner with a fancy restaurant, but Green Grass Cattle Company in Kansas City had a different idea when they installed their farm-to-table steak vending machine. It’s an unpretentious way of serving up high-quality cuts of beef to the masses. The meat machine also serves sausage and hot dogs.
11. UK: Fresh Fruit Vending Machine
Broderick’s in the UK has you covered in case you’re in for something a little lighter. They stock their vending machines with fruit and nutritious fruity snacks.
12. UK: Farm-Fresh Egg Vending Machine
Imagine buying eggs from a vending machine and they end up being the freshest and best-quality eggs you’ve ever eaten. This was the dream behind Reids Equipment’s egg vending machines which you can find in rural areas of the UK and the US.
13. Singapore: Fresh-Squeezed Juice Vending Machine
In Singapore, vending machines will squeeze oranges into 100 percent fruit juice right before your eyes. What's more, you only have to pay three dollars for it.
14. Australia: Donut Vending Machine
From its weird and wacky flavors to its Dr. Dough in Sydney, Australia launched the nation's first donut vending machine in 2023.
15. Vietnam: Rice Vending Machine
Vietnam is just one of many Southeastern Asian countries that call rice one of its national foods. It's only fitting then that it has a rice vending machine, offering various types of rice in different portion sizes.
16. France: Cheese Vending Machine
Need some cheese to go with your baguette? Luckily, in France, there's a vending machine for that too. You can get any number of the nation's finest cheeses for a reasonable price from a vending machine which we can only hope they've placed conveniently close to the baguette one.
17. Mexico: Taco Vending Machine
We were ecstatic to learn that Mexico has taco vending machines. Crossing our fingers that they carry carnitas.
18. China: Fried Chicken Vending Machine
South Korea prides itself on its distinct take on this dish and for good reason. Korean fried chicken is marinated and battered in a lighter mixture than the American kind, it's double-fried and tossed in perfectly balanced sauces. We’re delighted to find out you can get hot and fresh fried chicken from a vending machine in South Korea.
19. USA: Salad Vending Machine
Chicago-based company Farmer's Fridge is behind this healthy alternative to classically junky vending machines. The company wants to revolutionize the way people eat on the go and we're all for it.
20. Canada: Cake & Cupcake Vending Machine
The land of Tim Hortons is also responsible for cake and cupcake vending machines. You can find these vending machines at Vancouver's The Jar Bar and in malls and airports. We hope there’s a maple flavor one.
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