A Just Fries brand French fry vending machine at Central Station in Montreal, Canada (2009)
A Just Fries brand French fry vending machine at Central Station in Montreal, Canada
Side view of a Just Fries brand vending machine in Valenciennes, France (2008)
Side view of a Just Fries brand vending machine in Valenciennes, France
Integra Saratoga French fry machine delivers fries in 35 seconds at Köln, Germany, at exhibition Eu'Vend and coffeena 2019.

A French fry vending machine is a vending machine that dispenses hot French fries,[1][2][3] also known as chips. The first known French fry vending machine was developed circa 1982 by the defunct Precision Fry Foods Pty Ltd. in Australia. A few companies have developed and manufactured French fry vending machines and prototypes. Furthermore, a prototype machine was also developed at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Brands, manufacturers and prototypes

Historical

The now defunct Australian company Precision Fry Foods Pty Ltd. designed the first known French fry vending machine, named Mr. French Fry.[4] The company registered the design with the Australian government in January 1982.[4] The machine cooked hot chips within 60 seconds, and operated using three AUD $0.20 coins.[4] A salt packet was included underneath the cup that the chips were served in.[4]

Another company, Houser Vending Co., Inc., developed a French fry vending machine named Mr. Crispy's, which was used in various locations such as college campuses and factories since at least September 1990.[5] The fries were cooked in 365 °F (185 °C) sunflower oil for around 40 seconds, and 500 orders of fries were prepared before the oil was changed.[5] The machine had a feature that automatically turned it off in the event of a malfunction, and it also had a fire extinguisher built into it.[5]

Contemporary

Beyondte Technology, based in Shenzhen Province, China, began development of the Robo French fry machine in 2008, which delivers hot French fries in around 95 seconds.[1] Beyondte Technology was acquired by Breaktime Solutions in Belgium.[6] The machine was developed by Belgian entrepreneurs,[7] and field tested in Brussels, Belgium during the summer of 2012.[1] The machine weighs 750 pounds (340 kg), and can cook French fries in beef fat or cooking oil.[1] The machine requires manual servicing and cleaning after around 150 orders are prepared.[1] Later developments included installation of a ventilation system that uses three filters to reduce odors emitting from the machine.[7] The New York Post has referred to the Robo French fry machine as the "Rolls Royce of vending machines."[7][8] In August 2013, an order of French fries from the machine was priced at USD $3.50.[7]

E-Vend Technology, a Russian company, manufactures a French fry vending machine in China and Israel using technology from the United States.[9] The machine uses frozen French fries, and prepares them in around 45 seconds using hot air, rather than cooking oil.[10]

Fotolook, s.r.o., based in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia markets a French fry vending machine.[11]

In September 2015 at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, students and entrepreneurs presented a fully automatic, prototype vending machine that cooks frozen potato strips by deep frying them.[2][3][12] The final product is served with mayonnaise, ketchup or curry.[2] The process takes around two minutes from start to finish,[2][3] in which the product is served in a paper cup.[12] The potato strips are stored in a frozen state inside the machine at −18 °C (0 °F), and it cooks them in oil at 180 °C (356 °F).[13][14] The unit uses a specially-designed dispenser to prevent the potatoes from being crushed or broken.[12] As of September 2015, only the single prototype is available, which is housed at Wageningen University.[13] Orders are placed using a touchscreen, and a fork and salt are provided separately in a box.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cushing, Belle (November 14, 2013). "This French Fry Vending Machine Is Poised for Global Domination". Grub Street. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Fuhrmeister, Chris (September 3, 2015). "Finally, a Vending Machine That Dispenses Hot French Fries". Eater. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Taylor, Kate (September 4, 2015). "There's Now a Vending Machine That Dispenses Hot French Fries". Entrepreneur. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Grindlay, Danielle (January 29, 2015). "Hot chip vending machine invented in SA 32 years ago". ABC Rural. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 McClendon, Kristi (September 27, 1990). "Mixed reviews for Mr. Crispy". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ Eagle, Jenny (November 25, 2013). "French fries vending machine 'get rich quick' scam?". Food Production Daily. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Blaustein, Michael (August 19, 2013). "Belgium gets Rolls Royce of vending machines – fresh french fries in 90 seconds flat". New York Post. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  8. ↑ Krader, Kate (April 29, 2014). "How Well Do You Know Your Vending Machines? Take the Quiz!". Food & Wine. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ "About us". E-Vend Technology. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Automated French Fry Vending". E-Vend Technology. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "French Fries Vending". FOTOLOOK. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Katzmaier, David (September 9, 2015). "Vending machine dispenses fresh, hot fries". CNET. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Chang, Lulu (September 7, 2015). "This French fry vending machine is the stuff dreams are made of". Digital Trends. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  14. ↑ Bruno, Audrey (September 8, 2015). "This French Fry Vending Machine Might Change Fast Food Forever-You've Got to See What This New Vending Machine Does". Delish. Retrieved April 5, 2016.

Further reading

  • "Shuttle insulation keeps machine cool, too". Volume 67, Issues 11-15. Machine Design. 1995. p. 50. A new french-fry vending machine works more like a hot-air corn popper than a deep fryer. One of the biggest challenges in designing the machine was insulating the oven ... (subscription required)

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