Aramark micro market concept bridges space, time constraints

Aramark has introduced a new micro market concept called Vibe that is designed to bring fresh and healthy foods to consumers conveniently at any time of the day. The concept utilizes a typically underused small space and transforms it into a retail outlet offering items such as fresh salads, sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, fruits, vegetables and prepackaged meals. The markets also include a variety of beverages including top brands like Starbucks as well as typical break room snack foods.

Self-sustaining and requiring no onsite employees to manage, Vibe micro markets use kiosks where customers can scan and pay for their foods with either cash or credit-loaded cards, debit cards or credit cards. The markets are maintained by Aramark's route-based service model, where drivers monitor consumer preferences and replenish them several times per week.

Fresh food items range from $3.99 to $7.99 for a full meal and snack foods typically range from 99 cents to $2.99 for higher end choices like Chocolate Covered Cranberries. Vibe markets are designed using Aramark consumer research to position healthy or "Better for You" food choices in areas where consumers are more likely to select them. Once a contract is finalized, Aramark says it is typically able to construct and open a Vibe location in about 6 weeks.

"Many of our more than 450 Vibe locations cater to clients that do not have traditional cafeterias, are spread out over large campuses or have shift-based work schedules outside of the traditional 9-5 day," said Aramark COO Brad Drummond in a recent press release about the concept. "We have Vibe Micromarkets in many corporations and businesses as well as some hospitals and colleges. The freshness and taste of the food, number of healthy options and the markets' ease of use rank consistently high among consumers in our customer satisfaction surveys."

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]