Latest news with #FarmersFridge
Axios
20-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Selling steak from a vending machine
Steak is showing up in some odd places these days. The latest: Just weeks after Potbelly launched a prime rib sandwich, Chicago's Farmer's Fridge is selling steak from a vending machine — albeit in a salad. What they're saying: "We're seeing a moment for peak protein demand and want to give our customers what they're craving," Farmers Fridge CEO Luke Saunders tells Axios. "We know there are people who are skeptical about trying fresh food from a vending machine. Now we're asking them to go a step further and order steak." Between the lines: This Steakhouse Chopped salad ($13) arrives at a time when the nation is returning to meat despite big bets over the last decade on plant-based alternatives. Zoom in: The salad combines mixed lettuce and Napa cabbage with roasted potatoes, balsamic caramelized onions and shaved Parmesan, drizzled with Caesar dressing and topped with crispy fried onions and tender, medium-rare cubes of seared flank steak. The verdict: I love how the rich blend of steak, potatoes, onions and parm plays off the freshness of the greens and crunchy accent of the onions. This feels like a full meal. The caveat: Farmer's Fridge just started rolling these salads out last week, and they're not super easy to find. Full disclosure: Last week, I had to ask a company spokesperson to help me locate a steak salad near me. I nabbed one in the U.S. Customs House on South Canal, where I had to go through a federal security check to get to the machine. The salad costs $13 at most locations, but prices can vary in hot spots like airports. What's next: Farmers Fridge reps say the salads will gradually become more ubiquitous, but, for now, it's best to use the company's app to see if the machine near you has one.
Fox News
17-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Swapping Snickers for Salads: How Farmer's Fridge Revolutionized Vending Machines
Imagine driving over 1,000 miles each week for work, surviving on nothing but gas station snacks and fast food from whatever drive-thru happened to be nearby. For traveling salesman Luke Saunders, that was often his reality. But rather than accept it as his new normal, he saw an opportunity: What if healthy food could be just as quick, affordable, and accessible as grabbing a bag of M&Ms from a vending machine? After months of planning and plenty of trial and error, that idea became Farmer's Fridge. Today, Luke shares the challenges he faced figuring out how to store fresh salads, parfaits, and sandwiches in refrigerated vending machines–and why it was all worth it now that Farmer's Fridge is in over 2,000 locations nationwide, including major airports, hospitals, and universities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
