For those who want a meal or a snack after a long day, here's some good news!

Australia is about to get its first vending machine serving piping hot pizza, and, believe it or not, it'll be up and running in a busy Melbourne train station in mid-August.

​

The best thing about it is that it'll be ready in just five minutes, and commuters passing through Southern Cross Station will have access to 64 delicious pizzas with flavours such as garlic and cheese, pepperoni and vegan margherita pizzas to classic margarita ones. These delightful options are believed to be priced between $15 to $18.

A vending machine that serves hot pizza will be available at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne. Credit: The Nix Company/Unsplash

Phil Boniwell, operations manager for Victoria for the Me Group Australia, said they couldn't wait to see many locals excited about being able to snap up a delicious snack with ease:

'The machine just holds them at a refrigerated temperature for until a customer selects them and then it's pushed through convection oven at 200 degrees for five minutes, and that's what has it popping out hot and ready to go.'

The pizzas have a shelf life of up to three days and are nicely pre-sliced. Don’t fret, dear members, Boniwell added that someone would be monitoring the cooling and heating temperatures of the vending machine, and it could be cut at the moment something should not look right.

​

Surprisingly, this automated convenience isn't coming from Japan but from France–where pizza restaurants often use machines like these to cater to lunchtime and late-night crowds.

If the machine has success at the train station, the Me Group Australia envisions having these bringing convenience to other places like shopping centre food courts, cinemas and even airports.

‘The pop-up vending and hoarding at Southern Cross are temporary fixtures and will pop up around the station as needed while establishing new tenants, and will be unique to Southern Cross Station,’ Boniwell stated.

Key Takeaways

• A hot pizza vending machine is set to start operation at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, claimed as the first in Australia.
  
• The pizzas are ready in just five minutes, with a variety including garlic and cheese, pepperoni, vegan margherita and a classic margarita, priced between $15 to $18.
  
• The machines have been designed in France and used in Europe to cater for lunchtime and late-night crowds.
  
• If successful, Me Group Australia plans to install more vending machines in shopping centre food courts, cinemas and airports, helping address staff and service shortages.
  

While you may not catch the train as often these days, this machine might still be a future consideration if you're in the mood for a hot and delicious snack.

Are you excited about this new vending machine, dear members? Should this be a thing anywhere else? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

[Dennis]

For those who want a meal or a snack after a long day, here's some good news!

Australia is about to get its first vending machine serving piping hot pizza, and, believe it or not, it'll be up and running in a busy Melbourne train station in mid-August.

​

The best thing about it is that it'll be ready in just five minutes, and commuters passing through Southern Cross Station will have access to 64 delicious pizzas with flavours such as garlic and cheese, pepperoni and vegan margherita pizzas to classic margarita ones. These delightful options are believed to be priced between $15 to $18.

View attachment 27034

A vending machine that serves hot pizza will be available at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne. Credit: The Nix Company/Unsplash

Phil Boniwell, operations manager for Victoria for the Me Group Australia, said they couldn't wait to see many locals excited about being able to snap up a delicious snack with ease:

'The machine just holds them at a refrigerated temperature for until a customer selects them and then it's pushed through convection oven at 200 degrees for five minutes, and that's what has it popping out hot and ready to go.'

The pizzas have a shelf life of up to three days and are nicely pre-sliced. Don’t fret, dear members, Boniwell added that someone would be monitoring the cooling and heating temperatures of the vending machine, and it could be cut at the moment something should not look right.

​

Surprisingly, this automated convenience isn't coming from Japan but from France–where pizza restaurants often use machines like these to cater to lunchtime and late-night crowds.

If the machine has success at the train station, the Me Group Australia envisions having these bringing convenience to other places like shopping centre food courts, cinemas and even airports.

‘The pop-up vending and hoarding at Southern Cross are temporary fixtures and will pop up around the station as needed while establishing new tenants, and will be unique to Southern Cross Station,’ Boniwell stated.

Key Takeaways

• A hot pizza vending machine is set to start operation at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, claimed as the first in Australia.
• The pizzas are ready in just five minutes, with a variety including garlic and cheese, pepperoni, vegan margherita and a classic margarita, priced between $15 to $18.
• The machines have been designed in France and used in Europe to cater for lunchtime and late-night crowds.
• If successful, Me Group Australia plans to install more vending machines in shopping centre food courts, cinemas and airports, helping address staff and service shortages.

While you may not catch the train as often these days, this machine might still be a future consideration if you're in the mood for a hot and delicious snack.

Are you excited about this new vending machine, dear members? Should this be a thing anywhere else? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The question is how many customers can it serve at a time?

 

[Suzanne rose]

Is it for awhole pizza or a slice.

I worry that maybe it won't be fresh

 

[Pat T]

I started reading the article. Finished the second paragraph and right underneath was a picture- a new vending machine? It was a coffin. Might have to work on my hunour.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I started reading the article. Finished the second paragraph and right underneath was a picture- a new vending machine? It was a coffin. Might have to work on my hunour.

Oh I'm glad then I don't have adds

 

[Phantom55]

we are going from the sublime to the ridiculous...a pizza sitting in a machine for up to 3 days(they say)..what if its 5 or 6 days ? how will we know? and dearer than a freshly made one.....I don't fancy sitting net to any passenger eating a pizza.....maybe I will start trimming my nose hairs on the train...hmm that might disturb my pizza eater sitting next to me....my toe nails might need a trim.... anyone for popping pimples?.......stupid world

 

[Littleboy8]

For those who want a meal or a snack after a long day, here's some good news!

Australia is about to get its first vending machine serving piping hot pizza, and, believe it or not, it'll be up and running in a busy Melbourne train station in mid-August.

​

The best thing about it is that it'll be ready in just five minutes, and commuters passing through Southern Cross Station will have access to 64 delicious pizzas with flavours such as garlic and cheese, pepperoni and vegan margherita pizzas to classic margarita ones. These delightful options are believed to be priced between $15 to $18.

View attachment 27034

A vending machine that serves hot pizza will be available at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne. Credit: The Nix Company/Unsplash

Phil Boniwell, operations manager for Victoria for the Me Group Australia, said they couldn't wait to see many locals excited about being able to snap up a delicious snack with ease:

'The machine just holds them at a refrigerated temperature for until a customer selects them and then it's pushed through convection oven at 200 degrees for five minutes, and that's what has it popping out hot and ready to go.'

The pizzas have a shelf life of up to three days and are nicely pre-sliced. Don’t fret, dear members, Boniwell added that someone would be monitoring the cooling and heating temperatures of the vending machine, and it could be cut at the moment something should not look right.

​

Surprisingly, this automated convenience isn't coming from Japan but from France–where pizza restaurants often use machines like these to cater to lunchtime and late-night crowds.

If the machine has success at the train station, the Me Group Australia envisions having these bringing convenience to other places like shopping centre food courts, cinemas and even airports.

‘The pop-up vending and hoarding at Southern Cross are temporary fixtures and will pop up around the station as needed while establishing new tenants, and will be unique to Southern Cross Station,’ Boniwell stated.

Key Takeaways

• A hot pizza vending machine is set to start operation at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, claimed as the first in Australia.
• The pizzas are ready in just five minutes, with a variety including garlic and cheese, pepperoni, vegan margherita and a classic margarita, priced between $15 to $18.
• The machines have been designed in France and used in Europe to cater for lunchtime and late-night crowds.
• If successful, Me Group Australia plans to install more vending machines in shopping centre food courts, cinemas and airports, helping address staff and service shortages.

While you may not catch the train as often these days, this machine might still be a future consideration if you're in the mood for a hot and delicious snack.

Are you excited about this new vending machine, dear members? Should this be a thing anywhere else? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Eeeeeeewno thanksGross

 

[Loubeauxarts]

I remember when living in Sydney in the 1980s there was a pizzeria in Paddington that did all of their pizzas on one of those. Very popular with the nightclub crowd, the pizzas travel on a kind of metal conveyor belt. Quick and does the job. Many places in Melbourne use them now but not the same as a proper wood fired pizza

 

[Leenie]

The question is how many customers can it serve at a time?

The question is how long have they been there and are they safe to eat after a certain time.

 

[Leenie]

They could be a health hazard ,something to think about.

 

[Gsr]

I still remember the days when train stations always had a shop, some sold hot foods as well as drinks and snack foods. Bigger stations had a staffed dining room on the platform where travellers could get a meal, especially if going on long trips and waiting for connecting trains. Now I don’t think many, even the ones in major cities have anything but vending machines. Such a shame, I remember when my friend and I were travelling by train from Maitland to Griffith back in the early 70s. We had over an hour wait at central station in Sydney for our connecting train so we went to the dining room at the station and had a nice hot meal. It was late afternoon and our train to Griffith was an overnight red rattler type, no sleeping carriages or food, so we were really pleased we ate before we caught it. Left Sydney at 6pm and arrived Griffith lunchtime next day, so we were pretty hungry and in need of a drink by then. We had only taken one drink and a couple of snacks each with us as we had no idea the trip would be that long.