Vending machine food doesn't have to be awful for you. And Marriott, along with a Chicago startup, have set out to prove that by giving travelers at its O'Hare hotel healthy options for eating on the run.
Yesterday the Chicago Marriott O'Hare hotel launched its first "healthy vending machine" after Marriott partnered with Farmer’s Fridge, a Chicago-based startup that offers gourmet salads and snacks to customers via automated kiosks in 11 other locations around the city.
What Marriott calls "its first traveler-inspired innovation," the vending machine sits in the Chicago Marriott O'Hare lobby and is operational 24/7. It offers a Detox Salad with organic Kale and Quinoa with fennel, fruits and beans; Greek Yogurt and Berries made with low-fat Greek Yogurt and locally-sourced honey; and Lemon Pepper Chicken made from chickens that have been humanely raised without antibiotics, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, according to a news release.
Prices range from $3 to $12.
"It is an honor for Farmer's Fridge to partner with a company as innovative as Marriott Hotels that recognizes the need for healthy meal options among travelers,” Luke Saunders, founder of Farmer's Fridge said in the release. “I founded Farmer's Fridge because I used to spend 75 percent of my time on-the-road for work and was personally frustrated by the lack of convenient, healthy food available. Now it has come full circle, with this new partnership giving travelers access to fresh, nutritious food on-the-go through our revolutionary kiosks.”
The idea to bring the vending machine to the Chicago Marriott O'Hare was developed by 21-year-old college student Anjana Kallarackal through Marriott's Travel Brilliantly campaign. The vending machine will remain in the hotel lobby for the next five months while it's tested out. The food is curated and prepared daily by Farmer’s Fridge.
"We are committed to introducing the most innovative ideas our guests," said Michael Dail, vice president, Marriott Hotels Marketing. "...and thanks to Farmer’s Fridge, guests can now begin enjoying healthy food whenever they want it."
Image via Marriott
