My Outlook for On-Site Vending Amenities: Food and Beverage Trends in 2022

As we’re all exploring new solutions to attract and delight the workforce re-entering offices, on-site amenities are a hot topic. I recently spoke with PropModo regarding food and beverage trends, mainly —

What should we expect from on-site food and beverage solutions within the office sector moving forward? 

Here are my thoughts on F&B solutions for 2022. 

Blending health and convenience 

The biggest trend for in-office food solutions is the convenience and ease of grabbing coffee or lunch inside the building. 

In the past, many building owners and office managers thought convenience meant traditional vending machines with unhealthy, inexpensive snacks like chips, candy, and soft drinks. 

During the pandemic, we started to see a focus on healthy vending options that offered really great, nutritious, and delicious food. 

From my experience, I’ve seen that occupiers typically respond best to vending solutions that don’t appear to be “vending machines.” Consumers want to know that the ingredients are fresh and healthy, and that they are not eating items that have been sitting in the machine for a long period of time. 

Looking ahead, I expect to see a greater focus on providing healthy, fresh, and convenient on-site food and beverage solutions.  

Increase in technology and robotics 

The increase in robotic vending machines has been especially interesting to watch. 

As creators of these machines continue to hone in on their developments, they will begin to produce robotic vending machines that are more economical, while scaling up production. 

The firm that has really caught my eye is Door Dash’s Chowbotics. It’s a fresh ingredient machine that can hold 22 ingredients and prepare salads, grain or poke bowls, and even yogurt or cereal bowls. The machine can be transferred throughout the day to accommodate different meals, and consumers can select pre-made bowls or customize their own meals. 

I’ve also seen robotic coffee bars, ramen machines, and smoothie machines that seem to be in development. In time, I believe they will have a lot of potential. 

Branded F&B solutions can boost appeal and trust 

When offering food for office occupiers, the brand or chef behind the vending machine is most important. 

Rather than customizing the F&B option to fit the tenant’s brand, sticking with the vending brand can help appeal to consumers and build trust.

We are all driven by brand recognition. Food and beverage companies invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to create a trustworthy image so that consumers know that they are getting a quality product each time. 

For office owners and operators that want to build more recognition, a great way to do that would be through meal subsidization with codes and vouchers saying “brought to you by…” 

JLL’s XM team is excited to continue delivering the best quality, customized food and beverage solutions for our clients. 

Thank you for reading!