Ryan Hansan had the best kind of problem: His business was growing so rapidly he could barely keep up with demand.
After nearly three years of driving around the D.C. area making drop-offs, Hansan devised TinyGrocery, a new arm of the company that sells dinner kits and ready-to-eat meals via refrigerated vending machines.
“Doing 200, 250 deliveries in D.C. during rush hour is not fun,” Hansan says. “This is a way for us to get the food out there on-site,” at heavily trafficked buildings.
Since its launch on June 1, TinyGrocery has placed 10 vending machines filled with breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper kits across the D.C. area in offices, apartment complexes and gyms.
The machines are free for hosts to obtain, and TinyGrocery even reimburses the cost of energy.
The vending technology works like this: The machine is equipped with a tablet that displays the menu, price, nutritional information and allergens for each item. Customers swipe their credit card to unlock the door, make their selection and are charged via a microchip on the item’s packaging.
“The machine is constantly reading the inventory,” Hansan says. “When a card is swiped and the item is removed, the machine goes, ‘OK, I’m missing a wrap’ and charges the card.”
The prices of TinyGrocery products are comparable to those you’d find at fast-casual restaurants. For example, cold brew coffee is $3, hummus and veggies are $4 and salads range from $6 to $9. And the supper bundles, which are the backbone of ScratchDC? They’re less expensive because the delivery fee is eliminated.
“Traditional vending is an old and antiquated business,” Hansan says. “We’re trying to use the technology available and use the skill sets we’ve developed to fill a need a lot of businesses and employees have.”