A fast casual’s ‘smart fridges’ to debut at colleges, airports and more

Fast-casual salad brand Coolgreens plans to launch touch screen-enabled refrigerators next year to sell grab-and-go items in office buildings, airports, college campuses and more.

The Coolgreens Market “smart fridges” will launch in the Dallas-Fort Worth area early next year, selling salads, wraps and snacks, the chain announced this week. The refrigerators, which are available for franchising, allow consumers to select their items after swiping a credit card. Food will be produced in an off-site kitchen and delivered daily to the refrigerators.

The refrigerators will be located “any place where large amounts of people gather and are on the go,” the company said in a press release.

“We’re always looking for additional opportunities to serve our guests, and Coolgreens Market allows us to reach them in new ways,” Coolgreens CEO Robert Lee said in a statement. “Everyone is super busy and often it’s tough to get healthy food on the go. Coolgreens Market solves that challenge and enables us to offer a selection of the quality menu items that are sold in our restaurants, in a convenient, affordable way. It’s literally ready whenever you are.”

Coolgreens, which was founded a decade ago in Oklahoma, currently has nine units.