Category: Vending Services

Workstations, desks, and the break room are just a few of the physical spaces that businesses have to consider as they begin the process of reopening. In addition, Atlanta employers are developing new procedures and accommodations to ensure employee safety amidst ongoing concerns about COVID-19. Decisions made regarding the break room should be an important part of the plan.

Last week, members of the refreshment services industry gathered virtually to send a heartfelt and reassuring message to everyone. Shot in isolation from each individual’s home or business, the message is an inspiring 2-minute video. The takeaway is clear: break room service providers everywhere are here to support companies as they transition toward a new work environment.

PB&J Vending is responding appropriately and following the state’s COVID-19 re-opening schedules and guidelines as well as adopting stricter health and safety procedures for our employees.

In addition to maintaining social distancing practices, our route drivers are washing their hands or changing into a new pair of gloves before each visit. They are also sanitizing all contact surfaces and high touch areas at the end of every service call. Their goal is to leave Atlanta break rooms cleaner than when they arrived. Additionally, we have implemented social distancing policies in our offices and distribution centers and are closely monitoring our employees’ health.

Before COVID-19, break rooms were an important resource, but today, they have become an even more valuable benefit for Atlanta employees. Micro-markets and vending machines provide a safer way for employees to access fresh foods, snacks, and beverages. Products available in micro-markets and vending machines are individually wrapped in secure packaging for a quick, grab-and-go experience. Vending machines and micro-markets also offer cashless payment options, limiting contact even further. 

Providing employees with plenty of fresh foods, snacks, and beverages in the break room not only encourages employees to stay on-site but also limits potential exposure to viruses that can occur during off-site trips. Let’s work together to keep everyone safe.

For more information about customizing a refreshment menu or our safety procedures, please contact us at (877) 820.8363.

Everyone needs to feel appreciated, including Atlanta employees. Providing pantry service in the workplace break room is just one way to express employee appreciation. While each organization in Atlanta has a different culture, there are several things that create a universal feeling of appreciation and are enjoyed by almost everyone.

How to Show Appreciation

The first one applies specifically to the break room. Ask for your employees’ opinions about which snacks, beverages and fresh food they would like to have available in the pantry service. 

Also connected to the break room, would be to survey everyone about the type of environment or vibe they want in their break room. The right combination of refreshments at no cost plus a welcoming environment is sure to encourage employees to stay on-site when they need to re-hydrate or grab a bite to eat. 

The next three ways to show appreciation don’t have to be connected to the break room, but they can be. Offer employees special treats or meals that aren’t usually available in the break room such as ‘Waffle Wednesday’ or ‘Freshly Baked Cookie Friday.’ Donuts from a favorite bakery or popular pizza are also great options.

In the non-food arena, giving employees who have gone above what was expected extra time off acknowledges their effort and time. Not acknowledging their time and effort can silently convey to everyone that they, the employees and their coworkers, receive no benefit for putting in the extra work.

Another way to express appreciation is to perform random acts of kindness. Everyone has heard the story about one person in line purchasing a coffee for the person behind them. To the person who received the coffee, the experience was a random act of kindness. The same can be done for your Atlanta employees. A simple thank you note or someone’s favorite snack are acts of kindness that show appreciation.

Why Show Appreciation

At the surface, expressing appreciation for your Atlanta employees improves engagement, retention and motivation, especially during the holiday season. But dig a bit deeper and see a positive impact on employee work/life balance. 

In a recent article published by O.C. Tanner, “Showing gratitude can increase a person’s wellness, increase better sleep habits, increase metabolism and lessen stress. This directly impacts work results and employee interaction. With employee appreciation, you’re not only boosting performance and engagement, but the employee’s well-being and health.”

Drill down a bit further to the core and find that increased appreciation causes more positive interactions which then has even more positive ripple effects moving outward. That sounds like a good thing for everyone.

While PB&J Vending can’t perform random acts of kindness directly for your Atlanta employees, we can help you customize the perfect break room. Whether it’s pantry service, a micro-market or coffee service, your employees will know that you appreciate all that they do. For more information, please call PB&J Vending at (877) 820.8363.

Growth is a common theme found throughout the vending industry in 2019. This past April, 4,500 convenience services professionals converged at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV for The NAMA Show 2019. The show is an annual event sponsored by the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA), a group representing the $25 billion convenience service industry in the United States. 

With over 360 exhibitors including some of the world’s most popular brands, 100 new exhibitors and 125 new products for visitors to learn about, there was something for everyone to explore. Advancements in vending machines, coffee service, micro-markets, and pantry services were on display. Vending service providers, customers and industry providers gathered to see and learn about up and coming consumer and industry trends including new business and career growth strategies, educational opportunities, new products and brands, healthy choices, going green and new technologies. 

Two key areas with a large amount of growth at the show were healthy products and new technology trends and solutions

Healthy is still in.

Even after the organizers increased the size of the footprint for the healthy or better-for-you pavilion to 3,300 square-feet, the pavilion was sold out. It’s clear that healthy snacks and beverages continue to represent an area with growth potential.  

Manufacturers are listening to consumers and developing new products to meet consumer demand. Vending providers are also listening to their customers. In addition to healthy products with attributes from responsibly sourced to lower calories to reduced sugar and non-GMO, new approaches to eating healthier were also on display. Those trends included on-the-go nutrition, functional choices that support a specific lifestyle, occasion-based eating, and providing fresh fruit at the office.

Technology keeps evolving.

And the vending and refreshment industry is no different. Innovations in technology are improving both the front-end (consumer) and back-end (vending provider) experiences. For example, social media communities, personalized web-portals, and live chat enable back-and-forth communication between consumer and vending provider. To appeal to consumers, vending providers offer self-checkout technology that processes quick, cashless payments and fast, seamless product delivery systems. 

Vending providers, on the other hand, look for back-office management tools that will improve warehouse organization and order fulfillment. Innovative systems on display at the 2019 NAMA Show included technology that optimized up-to-the-minute sales data, maximized delivery routes; increased efficiencies, and minimized out-of-stock occurrences.

Whether an organization would like to update their current break room vending machine menu or create a customized micro-market or pantry service, PB&J Vending can help. We provide our Atlanta customers with the newest technologies and healthy snack, beverage, and fresh food choices to create a space that could only be called “the ultimate break room.” For more information about our refreshment services or to schedule a taste test, please call us at 877-820-8363. We look forward to hearing from you.

Why does is matter if an employer’s break room provides its employees only with services? Isn’t it good enough if the space just fulfills specific employee needs? For example, an employee is thirsty, so they go to the vending machine and purchase a cold beverage. The vending machine provided a service to the employee by delivering the purchased beverage.  

The short answer to the previous questions is no, it isn’t enough, and because people or employees are more than just their thirst or hunger.

In 2018, only delivering services in the break room is not enough. Today, the majority of Atlanta employees want to feel confident that their employee benefits and perks will have a meaningful and positive impact of their quality of life. In other words, they want to experience that hospitality brings. These benefits and perks often include onsite gyms, dry cleaning, and in-office meal options such as pantry service, a micro-market, or gourmet cafe-style coffee service.

To elevate break room perks beyond being only a service, employers need to add the practice of hospitality into the mix. According to the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, hospitality is

1. “[the] generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests” and
2. “the activity of providing food, drinks, etc. for people who are the guests or customers of an organization.”

Jim Sullivan, author, and CEO and founder of Sullivision.com, recently described hospitality as “smiles, sincerity, warmth, [and] connection” and said that “hospitality fulfills people.” After blending hospitality with their Atlanta break room, employees can experience an inviting atmosphere that boosts morale, encourages collaboration, and provides a variety of beverages, snacks, and food. But what does this mean in terms of the physical space?

The difference between service and hospitality in a physical space is subtle, but very important. Specific features including updated lighting, plants or other connections to nature, specialty coffee (ex. free-trade or a private label), high-end micro-market fixtures, and locally-made snacks or fresh food are added to the traditional, tangible items like vending machines, coffee equipment, and open racks and glass front coolers. Not only are the needs of thirsty and hungry employees being met, but Atlanta employees’ desire for specialty coffee or snacks and a higher-end experience are being fulfilled — and that is hospitality in the break room.

To customize and upgrade the hospitality level in your office break room, call PB&J Vending at 877-820-8363. We look forward to hearing from you.

With Halloween rapidly approaching, it’s time to reassess the sweet treats in your Atlanta vending machine and consider which sweet snacks would be better with some heat. Spicy snacks have been around for awhile, but they were usually located in the ‘not-sweet’ snack section of the break room vending machine. It’s time to explore new flavor combinations and see what happens when your favorite candy is mixed with a bit of spice.

Historically, cinnamon was the most frequently used spice in the U.S. to add heat to candy. With the increased awareness of and interest in Latin American flavors, that has changed. Today, Atlanta employees can find a mix of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors from cayenne, habanero, or sriracha in their sweet vending machine snacks. And Atlanta employees are buying a lot of them.

Based on recent sales’ data from CandyStore.com, sales of spicy and hot-flavored candy increased 25 percent between June 2017 and June 2018. Larry Levin, EVP of Consumer and Shopper Marketing at IRI, a market research firm, reported that “sales for non-chocolate spicy and hot attributed candy products are growing eight times faster than non-chocolate in general, at a rate of 25%.” A 25 percent increase over a 12-month period is huge considering that growth in candy, as an industry, has been less than one percent.

There’s just one more thing to mention.

If Atlanta employees are not used to the heat from certain spices, it is important to offer them different options in the break room that will cool the heat. The following suggestions might might help when things are just too spicy.

Milk: Plain milk is one of the best remedies, but if it’s not available, yogurt from a fresh food vending machine or a micro-market would be a great alternative.

Sugar: A teaspoon or a single packet of sugar from the office coffee service could also do the trick.

Milk Chocolate: The fat and casein (the protein in milk) content found in a milk chocolate bar from the vending machine can help combat the heat. While dark chocolate may have more health benefits, milk chocolate is a better choice in this case.

What combination of sweet and spicy do your Atlanta employees hope to find in their break room? Whether it leans more to the sweet side or the spicy side, we can help you customize a solution that meets your employees needs and wishes. PB&J Vending offers a variety of vending services including micro-markets, office coffee service, and vending machines. For more information, contact us at 877-820-8363.