New Vending Machines in Amsterdam Will Sell Fresh Vegetarian Food

In the Netherlands, it is common for fast food restaurants to feature large vending machines mounted on walls that allow customers to choose, buy and take away snacks like burgers or sausages without queuing behind a counter. These machines are very popular but aren’t usually associated with high-quality or healthy food, offering convenience over substance.

Rather than serving grilled or deep-fried meals with questionable nutritional values, a new restaurant in Amsterdam intends to employ similar automats to sell healthy, organic dishes to customers on the go. Known as Health Food Wall, the project will launch in early September 2018 and will contain a vending machine with 36 refrigerated compartments filled with fresh, vegetarian meals like chickpea curries with sweet potato or black noodle bowls with marinated tempeh.

Each meal or salad available at Health Food Wall is prepared on site with fresh, mostly organic ingredients and then, packaged in biodegradable boxes, before being placed inside the aforementioned compartments. Everything on offer at Health Food Wall is vegetarian and many dishes exclusively contain plant-based products, making them suitable for vegans, while others are also gluten-free.

To order at the restaurant, customers select their chosen meal on a touchscreen and then, pay by card, unlocking a specific compartment inside the vending machine. Afterwards, customers can grab their orders, which are served with cutlery, and enjoy their meals elsewhere in Amsterdam or take a seat inside Health Food Wall’s cosy lunchroom. The whole process takes around 20 seconds and customers can expect to pay between €7 to €9 for a full-sized meal packed with tasty and nutritional ingredients.

Considering the popularity of fast food vending machines and organic, ecologically-conscious fare in Amsterdam, Health Food Wall’s concept feels like a match made in heaven, creating a space for these two seemingly disparate forms of cuisine to exist in harmony and complement one another.