June 2018 - Total Vend

Have you ever thought about which technology you might see in the future in your Louisville office break room? Many of those new technologies are likely to first be found in quick service restaurants and grocery stores. They include interactive kiosks, robotsas (a cross between a robot and a baristas), and unattended retail technology or vending machines that sell unique products. The following is a list of technology that is either in use today or will be soon.

Coffee Robot: It’s exactly what it sounds like. The unattended coffee distribution system or robot barista makes a variety of customizable beverages. Customers order their favorite caffeinated beverages from a smartphone app or a nearby tablet, and pick up their beverage from the robot. If you’re lucky enough to be in Austin, TX or San Francisco, CA, then you can try one for yourself.

Robotic Kitchen Restaurant: A new restaurant has recently opened in Boston, MA that is unlike any other. Customers use a touch screen to choose an entree on the menu, add additional ingredients, and remove unwanted ones. The robot then gathers the ingredients, cooks them in a hot pan, and passes the cooked food on to a human who adds some garnish and labels the bowl—all in under three minutes.

Pizza Robot: This one is also exactly what it sounds like although there are currently several different types across the country. Whether the robot assists restaurant employees with making the pizza or is part of cooking the pizza and bringing it to you, it’s all about creating a delicious pizza pie as quickly as possible.

Robotic Burger Flipper: Still one of a kind, this robot in California can flip burgers twice as fast as a human. The robot continues to learn by using feedback loops from its co-workers as well as from its own mistakes. But, there are still a few kinks to work out as this robot works too fast for its human counterparts.

Ice Cream Self-Serve Robot: It’s an ice cream/frozen yogurt shop that makes customizable treats in a vending machine with a robotic arm. While it’s not available yet, it will soon be easier to enjoy a sweet treat especially when grocery shopping.

Unique robots aren’t the only innovative technology that might appear in a break room. Many Louisville break rooms already use cutting-edge technology such as ENERGY STARⓇ certified vending machines, high-efficiency micro-market coolers and freezers, LED lighting, wireless technology, and mobile payment systems. What’s in your Louisville break room?

Whether you’d like to update your current vending machines or micro-market technology, Total Vend can help. We can also help customize the right mix of snacks, food, and beverages to fit your Louisville employees’ needs. Call us at 502.451.0111 for more information. We look forward to hearing from you.

It may be summer outside, but don’t forget to include a bit of dark chocolate in your healthy snack. The key is to use dark chocolate made with a high-cocoa content, low unhealthy-fats, and very little sugar. A few different ways to enjoy a dark chocolate snack in the summer include: dark chocolate ice cubes, fruit dipped in dark chocolate, homemade dark chocolate ice cream, and dark chocolate pudding or mousse in addition to the traditional bar of dark chocolate.

Why dark chocolate? Because dark chocolate contains antioxidants, caffeine, endorphins, and serotonin which offer many health benefits. According to research presented at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting, “consuming dark chocolate that has a high concentration of cacao (minimally 70% cacao, 30% organic cane sugar) has positive effects on stress levels, inflammation, mood, memory and immunity” as well as cognition.

Let’s take a look at how caffeine, endorphins, serotonin, and antioxidants play a role.

Caffeine

As many Louisville employees know, caffeine can provide an energy boost when one is feeling tired. But caffeine does more than just decrease fatigue. Caffeine offers a short-term mental boost, improves memory, and even helps decrease pain sensitivity in some individuals with chronic pain.

Endorphins & Serotonin

While endorphins are a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system, and serotonin is a chemical and neurotransmitter, both have a similar effect. They can both improve a Louisville employee’s mood. Endorphins create feelings of pleasure, and serotonin elevates one’s mood.

Antioxidants

Understanding the impact of antioxidants is a bit more complicated. There are many different types of antioxidants. Several of the ones that come into play with dark chocolate include flavonoids (flavanols, flavonols (source of the antioxidant qualities), epicatechin and procyanidins) and polyphenols. Flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, improve cognitive function, help absorb UV light, increase blood flow to the skin, improve skin texture, increase skin hydration, fight inflammation and oxidative stress—improving blood flow, improve cardiovascular health, reduce insulin resistance, and decrease cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods. Those are a lot of benefits!

The benefits from antioxidants are often seen in Louisville individuals when three to four ounces of dark chocolate made with 70 percent to 80 percent cocoa are enjoyed each day. Don’t forget to avoid dark chocolate made using processing methods such as fermenting, alkalizing, and roasting as they cause important flavonoids to be lost.

Can your Louisville employees find a healthy dark chocolate snack in their office break room? Offering healthy vending machine options is one way that your organization can support your employees’ health. For more information about adding vending services to your place of business, contact Total Vend at 502.451.0111. We look forward to working with you.

Month: June 2018

Look Out for New Technology in Louisville

Louisville, Enjoy a Healthy Snack Today