🔥 Bonji Hot Takes: Volume 48 🔥
Hi all, welcome back to the Bonji Hot Takes! We hope your week has been filled with success and happiness. The weekend is near, but we hope to offer some value before the week closes and you are enjoying the time off. Grab & Go options have boomed in the past few years, but now, more and more restaurants are adding quick service options. Not only are restaurants hopping on this trend, but also large companies are implementing grab & go stations. You may not love the pre-packaged food items, but sometimes it's just what you need to get by. And that isn't to say all grab & go options aren't tasty, but generally, they slack a little in the flavor department. Moreover, you'll be seeing more quick service stations as time progresses, I've personally seen a bunch start popping up!
Where You'll See Grab & Go I was recently at a New Jersey Devils game and was astonished to see grab & go mini marts throughout the stadium. This was new to me, I don't remember stadiums having fridges and snack stands open to the public. I could simply walk by, like an open-door convenience store, grab what I need, pay via iPad technology, and be on my way. Although this was a new experience, I kinda absolutely loved it. It was quick, simple, and minimized waiting in long lines so I could get right back to the game. With that being said, I wanted to see if more venues or companies are implementing this concept of grab & go. Sure enough, plenty of businesses are cutting back on labor and introducing customer-facing options. For instance, United Airlines is starting to test convenience store settings in their airport lounges. Instead of having full service restaurants, they simply stack up fridges and snack options, letting the customers pick and choose as they wait for their planes. Of course, they make their money from the membership fees, so customers can have this service for free, but the idea of grab & go is still becoming more and more prevalent. Additionally, Subway is another massive player jumping into the grab & go space. Subway has introduced ready-to-eat-stocked vending machines that contain snacks and freshly made sandwiches. On top of being stocked well, these vending machines are considered “smart” and can answer questions via a voice-activated AI program. Prices will vary based on the weight of the sandwich, which is already programmed into the machine, AND all contents are sanitized after every purchase by the machine's UV-C light. Needless to say, Subway is pouring money into this concept and is looking to expand its 400 grab & go locations to more college campuses, airports, and hospitals.
