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Food at Work Part 1: Three Ways Companies are Adapting Onsite Foodservice During COVID Times
Adapting to Food at Work Challenges Created by COVID-19
PART 1 OF A SERIES
FOOD @ WORK: HOW COMPANIES ARE ADAPTING EMPLOYEE FOOD SERVICE DURING COVID TIMES
If you found yourself on your heels re-imagining the workplace after COVID-19 hit, you are not alone. From businesses forced to close temporarily, to workforces now working from home, to workforces growing exponentially, many businesses are facing changes in the wake of the pandemic.
As a company that focuses on innovating food at work and unattended retail solutions, Avanti Markets works with hundreds of micro market operators who serve thousands of companies across the United States. Because of this, we have a unique window to view how companies are adjusting their corporate food service options during Coronavirus times.
This post is the first in a series that will share the top three trends we see companies doing to adapt food programs to meet today’s challenges of keeping their onsite employees safe at work, happy and fed.
THREE TRENDS WE'LL EXAMINE IN THIS SERIES:
1. The shift from office pantries to a fresh food micro market
2. Moving away from vending and into fresher options with more variety
3. Contactless options for the workplace, including coffee service
To start this series, it is important to realize everyone across the US has been impacted in some way by this pandemic.
With waves of uncertainty ongoing for most of 2020, some offices still have limited workforces in attendance while a large array of companies have the majority of employees working from home. Some major employers have already announced work from home until Fall of 2021.
Alternatively, other businesses are operating at or above pre-pandemic levels in order to meet demand including: manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, food processing plants, grocery and essential retailers, healthcare hospital facilities, and those who manage the infrastructure that keeps our society functioning.
For employers who do have staff onsite now, as well as those planning to bring their employees back soon, measures around health and safety are high priorities. This is where the importance of adapting food options at work comes in.
The way people eat at work and company breakrooms will continue to evolve as companies remain committed to the health and safety of employees. Open cafeterias and crowded breakrooms are no longer an ideal situation, and neither is seeing employees leave the workplace during breaks to visit public locations in order to get food. The more environments and people an employee comes into contact with, the greater the chance for virus exposure brought into the work environment.
Keeping employees safely on site from the time they arrive at work until the time their shift ends is now a preferred situation for employers to ensure peace of mind by limiting potential virus exposure in the company. Many companies are more motivated now to adequately provide a variety and quality of food and beverages employees in safely packaged containers in a way staff could quickly grab and go.
In the rest of our blog series, we will examine the the three trends listed above in greater detail. In the meantime, if you are looking for creative company foodservice solutions that include safe packaged foods and contactless transactions? Learn more about micro markets as a company breakroom
and let us know if you have any questions.
About us
Avanti Markets, a leader in unattended retail solutions, invented the micro market breakroom that has transformed many dull company breakrooms into into fresh food markets. Our self-checkout kiosk micro markets provide safe, healthy packaged foods with contactless transaction options to keep employees happy, healthy, and engaged. Adding a micro market is free for most companies, all you need is space, electricity and an internet connection - our market operators take care of the rest and build a program for your needs.
Avanti Markets works with a national network of operators to bring food service options to the workplace. We have provided guidance to our network on how to maintain safe practices with their operations, and our operators also each have their own set of guidelines and protocols to ensure they are meeting the needs of their customers in the safest possible manner.
The effects and reality of COVID-19 changed the workplace for now and into the foreseeable future. One of the biggest concerns for employers is how to keep employees safer while at work, including reducing the need for workers to come and go during the course of their workday.
New Auxiliary Kiosk provides more flexibility for market operators and host locations.
Whether you have had employees on furlough or working from home, chances are that your workplace turned into a bit of a ghost town when COVID-19 rules forced your operation to adapt. You may still have only a fraction of the number of employees coming to your physical location to work right now.
Even before COVID-19 changed the restaurant and retail landscape in 2020, micro markets were growing at a nearly unprecedented rate due to: increasing consumer demand micro market operator earning potential versatility of micro market options underserved markets which represent opportunity for entrepreneurs ever-evolving micro market technology and capabilities Micro market revenues grew nearly $1B between 2016-2019, climbing to a record high $26B in revenues in only two years. We believe there has never been a more exciting time to become a micro market operator , and here are five reasons why, including the benefits of partnering with Avanti Markets on your micro market business. 5 Reasons to Open an Avanti Micro Market Business Right Now 1. Consumer Demand and Preferences The growth of micro markets is not just about the consumer’s demand for food and beverages. Micro markets answer consumer preferences in many areas, especially now in the aftermath of COVID-19 and its impacts to food service. Micro markets answer the consumer’s growing demand for convenience, self-service, and touchless payments, especially among younger consumers (and a younger workforce). Micro market technology enables unattended retail as a food service solution that can be placed in nearly any setting, such as: Office buildings, lobbies, and corporate campuses Colleges, universities, high schools, and other educational institutions Hospitals, medical buildings, medical office parks, etc. Airports, train stations, bus stations, and other commuter facilities Hotels and motels Adjacent to (or in place of) traditional cafeterias Resorts, arenas, stadiums, convention centers, entertainment venues Neighborhood convenience retail locations Automobile service and sales facilities Today’s COVID-19 era consumer also demands food safety and security. Micro markets offer safer, smarter vending solutions where foods and beverages are safely stored, minimally handled, and where inventory can be managed in real time to avoid shortages and respond to demand. The size and type of items which could be dispensed by traditional vending machines limited their ability to satisfy the needs of consumers who are increasingly aware of the benefits of eating healthy. Micro markets and intelligent vending solutions are not constrained in the same way, and so they are able to deliver access to the healthy, fresh foods that consumers want from food service solutions in retail and employment settings.
Micro markets are popping up through the country and transforming traditional breakrooms with food and beverage options through choice and versatility combined with a perfect blend of technology for ease and functionality.
PART 4 OF A SERIES CONTACTLESS OPTIONS FOR THE WORKPLACE - OFFICE COFFEE INCLUDED Contactless shopping is a term we are all hearing a lot lately. It’s one of the strategies being enacted to keep people safe given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But what could that mean for the workplace breakroom? The good news is that companies do have options to help keep their employees safe with contactless options while maintaining office perks such as coffee service or breakroom food options. With the new normal of minimized shared contact points in our everyday lives, the office coffee pot has come under scrutiny. Self-serve pours from the same containers used by virtually all employees no longer feels safe. To combat this, fully contactless coffee solutions are being introduced to the office coffee service landscape. Many convenience service operators are offering coffee programs that limit shared touchpoints to align with consumer expectations. One such example is a bean-to-cup brewer with a software add-on that allows for contactless beverage selection. Users can scan the 2D code on their smartphone and be taken to a mobile interface to make their drink selections. Once selection is completed, the coffee machine will dispense the coffee or hot beverage to the user’s specifications. Companies can use this system to continue to offer free coffee for employees. Or, if they want employees to pay or want to subsidize the cost, the payment can be completed through an associated micro market kiosk. The benefit of a bean-to-cup brewer is that employees can get a fresh, customized cup of coffee at a fraction of the cost of going to the local coffee shop. Not to mention, this way, employees are staying on site to get their coffee instead of traveling to an outside establishment. These are important benefits related to morale and safety of workers. As mentioned, a contactless coffee system can be used in conjunction with a micro market kiosk. An Avanti micro market in your breakroom is another contactless perk not to be overlooked for your facility. Fresh food micro markets offer a variety of fresh, healthy, and in-demand food and beverage items that are likely to keep employees on site for lunch instead of going out to pick up food from a different location.
Micro markets are on the grow nationwide. The revenues generated by micro markets increased 99 percent between 2016 and 2018, representing more than $2B in annual sales. While they initially found success in manufacturing businesses and office buildings, micro markets and smart vending solutions have the potential to grow exponentially in other industries as well.
Smart N Go Markets give hospitals and medical facilities a reliable and secure food service solution that is available 24/7. Smart N Go markets are a revolutionary self-service food service alternative that is ideally suited to better serve the needs of hospitals and medical facilities beyond open cafeteria or traditional snack vending. Available at little or no cost to your facility, Smart N Go intelligent vending allows a variety of fresh food, beverages, snacks, coffee and more to be ready to grab 24/7 behind secured glass doors.
Seven organizations recognized for their accomplishments this year through virtual presentations of awards.
7 Benefits of Micro Markets in Light of COVID-19 Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, micro markets were an emerging trend. These unattended retail establishments began cropping up in offices and apartment building lobbies since 2010 and are especially popular with Millennials and Generation Z. During the pandemic micro markets have evolved from fun novelty conveniences into essential businesses that provide key benefits to the general public and businesses, including the healthcare industry. Here are seven benefits micro markets offer during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: 1. No-contact, touch-free transactions 2. Safety and security 3. Provide safe and healthy food options 4. Entice employees back to the office 5. Not affected by labor shortages 6. Versatility and convenience 7. Opportunities to serve underserved markets 1. No-contact, Touch-free Transactions Micro markets are unattended retail spaces and even prior to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, they provided customers with a contactless way to purchase healthy food and beverages. Furthermore, micro markets provide added safety in that they offer consumers touchless payment options that can include things like subscription options and payments via an app they can easily download to their smartphone. 2. Safety and Security Micro markets provide the COVID-19 era customer with the added security and food safety they demand. Even fresh produce can be pre-packaged, providing consumers with the added confidence that a piece of fruit, such as an orange or an apple, hasn’t been handled by other people. And for added security, sneeze guards and other plexiglass display options can be installed as well. Additionally, the food and drinks at micro markets have always been safely stored and offered in an easy to access self-service environment where it’s easy for customers to stay socially distanced from each other for added peace of mind. 3. Provide safe and healthy food options According to a recent survey of nearly 1,500 adults, 56 percent of the respondents admitted they found it challenging to eat healthy, in spite of 89 percent also saying that nutrition is important to them. And because micro markets aren’t vending machines but mini one-stop shops, they can provide your customers or employees with healthy snack options in conveniently wrapped and sealed packaging. Furthermore, larger items like sandwiches, salads and fresh produce aren’t a size issue like they are for vending machines that are more limited to less healthy options such as candy or chips.
