Smart fridges for businesses · Buy · rent · lease
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Classic snack vending machine next to a smart fridge in an office corridor
Where we stand in the market

Smart fridge suppliers
compared

Look for food at work and you will get six kinds of offer: an operator's free vending machine, a fridge with a software subscription, a meal brand's own fridge, a caterer, a micro market, or a fridge rented or leased through a finance company. They look alike, but each one makes money differently, and that decides what you pay and what is left for you to do. Below, each model sits next to ours. No names: the model says more than the name.

We build the fridge Buy, rent or lease Direct from the manufacturer
Which model suits my site? Go to the overview
Overview

Six models
next to ours

Under each name you will see how that supplier earns its money; that explains the rest. This is how the models usually work. An individual supplier may differ, so always ask. Each model is spelled out further down.

TE VENDINGManufacturer: buy, rent or lease Free vending machineEarns on the margin PlatformFridge plus subscription Branded fridgeSells its own meals CatererCharges per meal Micro marketEarns on the margin Third-party leaseCharges fixed instalments
Purchase price Strength: Not needed: rent or lease, or buy Strength: None It depends: Buy or lease Strength: None It depends: No fridge, but a kitchen Strength: None Strength: None
Buy the fridge Strength: Yes, from the manufacturer Weakness: Hardly ever Strength: Yes Weakness: Usually not Weakness: No Weakness: No It depends: Sometimes, at the end
Who stocks it It depends: You, or a supplier you choose Strength: The operator Weakness: You Strength: The brand Strength: The caterer Strength: The operator Weakness: You
Your own range and prices Strength: Yes Weakness: No Strength: Yes Weakness: One brand Weakness: No Weakness: No Strength: Yes
Fresh meals Strength: Yes: chilled, recorded per product Weakness: Rarely It depends: If you find them It depends: From one brand Strength: While the kitchen is open It depends: Limited It depends: If you find them
Open Strength: Day and night Strength: Day and night Strength: Day and night Strength: Day and night Weakness: Kitchen hours It depends: Building hours Strength: Day and night
Space Strength: About half a square metre Strength: A machine Strength: A fridge Strength: A fridge Weakness: Kitchen and canteen Weakness: A room Strength: A fridge
Switch later Strength: Rent first, buy later Weakness: No It depends: Find an operator yourself Weakness: No Weakness: No Weakness: No It depends: Depends on the contract
StrengthIt dependsWeakness

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What this means in euros depends on headcount, opening hours and range: see what a smart fridge costs. Already holding two proposals? Use the questions for comparing quotes.

Technicians installing a smart fridge on site
Model 1 · the free vending machine

The operator who
puts a machine in

An operator installs a spiral vending machine without charging for it, stocks it with long-life snacks and cans, and earns on every sale. Sometimes the site gets a small commission, sometimes the contract has a minimum turnover or a multi-year term. What free really means is in the small print.

TE VENDINGBuy, rent or lease Free vending machineEarns on the margin
The machine Strength: Chilled smart fridge, built by us It depends: Spiral machine for dry products
What goes in Strength: What you choose, fresh meals included It depends: Snacks and drinks chosen by the operator
Prices and margin Strength: Set by you Weakness: Set by the operator
Who does the work It depends: You, or a supplier you choose Strength: The operator
StrengthIt dependsWeakness

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Model 2 · platform with subscription

A smart fridge,
but empty

A technology company sells or leases you a fridge with software and a payment platform, and charges a monthly subscription. The technology works. Restocking, rotating fresh products and dealing with what does not sell are up to you or a second party.

TE VENDINGBuy, rent or lease PlatformFridge plus subscription
Who builds the fridge Strength: We do It depends: Often bought in and resold
Commissioning Strength: On site, with instruction for whoever runs it It depends: Often remote
Rent first, buy later Strength: Can be agreed Weakness: Rarely
StrengthIt dependsWeakness

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Model 3 · the branded fridge

A fridge full of
one brand

A meal brand places a fridge on your premises and fills it with its own products. The food is often good, but the range is one brand, the employer usually pays a monthly fee or a minimum volume, and a fridge you own does not fit that model.

TE VENDINGYour own fridge Branded fridgeSells its own meals
Range Strength: Any supplier you choose It depends: One brand
Halal, kosher, vegan Strength: Whatever you put in, clearly labelled It depends: Depends on the brand
Own the fridge Strength: Yes Weakness: Usually not
StrengthIt dependsWeakness

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What sells in a workplace fridge: high-protein meals and halal in the fridge.

Model 4 · the caterer

A kitchen,
with opening hours

A caterer runs a staff restaurant. For a hot lunch for many people at once that is hard to beat, but it takes a kitchen, staff and a fee or subsidy per meal, and it stops when the kitchen closes. See what a staff restaurant costs.

TE VENDINGA fridge, no kitchen CatererCharges per meal
What it takes Strength: Half a square metre and a socket Weakness: Kitchen, staff, canteen
Hours Strength: Day and night It depends: Kitchen opening hours
Together? Strength: Yes: the caterer can stock your fridge Strength: Yes
StrengthIt dependsWeakness

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Model 5 · the micro market

A small shop
without staff

An operator fits open shelves and chillers with a self-checkout kiosk. It can work in a large office with a room to spare. It needs space, and whoever does not scan does not pay.

TE VENDINGClosed smart fridge Micro marketEarns on the margin
Space Strength: Half a square metre Weakness: A corner or a room
Payment Strength: The door opens after payment, the fridge records what is taken It depends: Self-scan at a kiosk
Supervision Strength: Not needed Weakness: Needed, or accept losses
StrengthIt dependsWeakness

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In detail: micro market or smart fridge.

Model 6 · third-party lease

Financed,
but not stocked

A rental or leasing company finances the fridge so you pay no purchase price. Financially convenient, but nothing changes in the work: someone still has to stock and follow up a rented or leased fridge.

TE VENDINGRent or lease from the manufacturer Third-party leaseCharges fixed instalments
Who you deal with Strength: One party: the manufacturer It depends: A finance company, plus whoever built the fridge
Commissioning and support Strength: Included Weakness: Not their business
Buy later Strength: Can be agreed It depends: Depends on the contract
StrengthIt dependsWeakness

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Renting versus leasing in detail: rent or lease compared.

Where we stand

Straight from
the manufacturer

We build smart fridges ourselves. Outside Belgium and the Netherlands we sell, rent and lease them: you get the fridge, commissioning on site, the software and support, and you decide what goes in and what it costs. You stock it yourself, or you let a caterer or local operator of your choice do it.

That gives you what most models above lack: the fridge in your own hands, with your own range and prices, without a middleman between you and the manufacturer. All options side by side: buy, rent or lease.

Manufacturer Buy Rent Lease
When another model suits you better
  • Fewer than about fifty people, office hours and a shop round the corner: a well-run snack cupboard or classic machine is often enough
  • A staff restaurant that is open all day and works well: a fridge then only covers the gaps
  • Nobody on site, and no supplier, to stock a fridge: then an operator's model may be simpler
Compare by option

More detail
per option

What you can choose
01
Buy the fridge
Straight from the manufacturer. Your range, your prices, your margin.
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02
Rent or lease
No purchase price, a predictable fee.
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03
Healthy food at work
Fresh, high-protein and halal: what keeps a fridge selling.
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Further reading
01
Become an operator
Buy units from the manufacturer and place them with your own clients.
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02
Food around the clock
Why opening hours matter more than the model.
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03
Smart fridge in a warehouse
Shifts, docks and a canteen that closes early.
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Frequently asked questions

About comparing suppliers

Why don't you name other suppliers?

Because the model tells you more than the name. Two suppliers with the same model offer the same kind of deal, with the same strengths and weaknesses. Use the rows on this page to hold any proposal up against ours.

What is the biggest difference from a free vending machine?

Ownership and control. With an operator the machine stays theirs and they set the range and prices. With us you buy, rent or lease a chilled smart fridge and decide what goes in, fresh meals included.

Do you stock the fridge in my country?

No. Outside Belgium and the Netherlands we sell, rent and lease the fridge with software and support. You stock it yourself or through a caterer or operator of your choice.

Can I rent first and buy later?

That can be agreed. Some companies rent first to see whether it takes off, then buy. The options depend on the contract.

Which model suits your site?

Answer eight short questions about your site. We call you back with a proposal to buy, rent or lease, and tell you honestly if another model suits you better.

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