A French fry vending machine is a

vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or payment is otherwise m ...

that dispenses hot

French fries French fries, or simply fries, also known as chips, and finger chips (Indian English), are '' batonnet'' or '' julienne''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin. They are prepared by cutting potatoes into even strips, drying them, and f ...

, 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

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

s. Furthermore, a prototype machine was also developed at

Wageningen University Wageningen University & Research (also known as WUR) is a public university, public research university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally i ...

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. The company registered the design with the Australian government in January 1982. The machine cooked hot chips within 60 seconds, and operated using three

AUD The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD; also abbreviated A$ or sometimes AU$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; and also referred to as the dollar or Aussie dollar) is the official currency and legal tender of Au ...

$0.20 coins. A salt packet was included underneath the cup that the chips were served in. 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. The fries were cooked in sunflower oil for around 40 seconds, and 500 orders of fries were prepared before the oil was changed. 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.

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. Beyondte Technology was acquired by Breaktime Solutions in Belgium. The machine was developed by Belgian entrepreneurs, and field tested in Brussels, Belgium during the summer of 2012. The machine weighs , and can cook French fries in beef fat or cooking oil. The machine requires manual servicing and cleaning after around 150 orders are prepared. Later developments included installation of a ventilation system that uses three filters to reduce odors emitting from the machine. ''The New York Post'' has referred to the Robo French fry machine as the "Rolls Royce of vending machines." In August 2013, an order of French fries from the machine was priced at

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

$3.50. E-Vend Technology, a Russian company, manufactures a French fry vending machine in China and Israel using technology from the United States. The machine uses frozen French fries, and prepares them in around 45 seconds using hot air, rather than cooking oil. Fotolook, s.r.o., based in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia markets a French fry vending machine. 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. The final product is served with mayonnaise, ketchup or curry. The process takes around two minutes from start to finish, in which the product is served in a paper cup. The potato strips are stored in a frozen state inside the machine at , and it cooks them in oil at . The unit uses a specially designed dispenser to prevent the potatoes from being crushed or broken. As of September 2015, only the single prototype is available, which is housed at Wageningen University. Orders are placed using a touchscreen, and a fork and salt are provided separately in a box.

Gallery

File:Nichirei food vending machine in Japan.jpg, alt=A Nichirei vending machine that offers prepared French fries, A

Nichirei is one of Japan's top producers of frozen foods and a leader in cold storage warehousing, headquartered in Tokyo. Operating through around 80 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide, its businesses include processed food; logistics; marine produc ...

vending machine that offers prepared French fries (Tokyo, 2012) File:French fries vending machine.png, alt=Partial view of the front of an unused Beyondte French fry vending machine, Partial view of the front of an unused Beyondte French fry vending machine (2012) File:French fry vending machine1.jpg, alt=A French fry vending machine in Safed, Israel, A French fry vending machine in Safed, Israel (2005) File:Integra french fry machine at Integra d.o.o. booth at Köln Germany, Eu'Vend and coffeena 2019.jpg, Integra french fry machines at Integra d.o.o. booth at Köln Germany, Eu'Vend and coffeena (2019)

References

External links

* {{Good article French fries Vending machines Food technology