The pact will combine Setomatic's SpyderWash technology with USAT's ePort Connect service to bring cashless payment value to laundry operators as consumers increasingly opt to use their credit/debit cards and mobile phones to pay for laundry services...

When fully deployed, the current group will reportedly have about 35,000 connected points of sale that consist of vending machines, micromarkets and dining facilities...

Three Square Market, a subsidiary of TW Vending, has taken the wraps off its new self-checkout micromarket for placement in business and industry sites. The kiosk is a variation of TWV's corrections market kiosk...

Coinstar Inc. said it will seek approval to change its name to Outerwall Inc. at its stockholders meeting on June 27. The company's core businesses -- Redbox and Coinstar -- will retain their current brand names...

Starbucks Corp. said it plans to install vending cafés in large offices throughout Europe, expanding upon a pilot it launched in Switzerland last fall. Called Corner Café, the Seattle coffee giant's automated workplace coffee bars feature...

365's micromarket kiosks can now scan Tassimo Professional T-Disks, allowing patrons to buy freshly brewed gourmet coffee, along with their other micromarket purchases...

Mars Drinks is introducing Steel Horse Coffee enhanced with cocoa flavanols to boost circulation, which can lead employees to be more productive. It is exclusively available in Freshpacks for Mars Drinks' single-cup Flavia beverage system...

Meals and desserts, enhancers and snack nuts business units formed to create "more focused, less complex" businesses [press release]

The general public's growing familiarity with touchscreen interaction, which has been driven by the spread of consumer electronics devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs, is leading to an expectation that other aspects of our everyday life should make use of similarly intuitive and easy-to-operate controls...by Ian Crosby

In order to equip your customer service reps for success, you must design the proper forms to provide all the pertinent information that they will need in the field... by Len Rashkin

The coffee growing regions of Central America are in a state of concern as they deal with a fungal infestation known as roya, or more commonly, "coffee rust" ...by Brian Martell

It can be interesting to view the office coffee service business from the perspective that an operation ultimately is a utility company. If coffee is about 98% water, OCS operators are simply reselling the location's own utilities back to the location... by Matt Greenwald

LAI Games has begun restructuring its senior management team with the goal of sharpening focus on sales and marketing, while increasing corporate and manufacturing depth. A new chief executive is expected to be appointed in three months...

There is dumb, and then there is stunningly dumb. In what may be worthy of joining the annals of world's dumbest crimes, four teens have been apprehended after allegedly using a photobooth to take images of themselves with a stolen credit card...

Designed for younger children, the kiddie ride features smoke effects, a train whistle, gentle rocking motion and an interactive mini game to play during the ride...

If the goal of automation is to increase efficiency, and MCM Elements LLC (Williamsport, PA) believes its Route Boost software system will do this for amusement machine operators. In large part, this is because operators designed the software...

The manufacturer says the importance of social media in communicating with the "connected" industry has never been greater, and modern amusement corporations must establish dedicated programs in order to share the latest information...

Fruit Mania Xtreme and its compact stablemat are video-style pusher games offering skill-based challenges and simple play action. "No more coins jamming up the mechanics," Unis claims...

Brand Vending Products has taken the wraps off three capsule items designed to engage the imaginations of young patrons during the summer vacation. The new items belong to Brand's first self-vend, do-it-yourself line...

For Vending Supply, the secret is in the ink. While ink isn't something that is often discussed in the world of temporary tattoos, Vending Supply's attention to this often overlooked detail is one of the reasons the company's vending products continue to stand out...

Allstar Vending has acquired the exclusive license for The Trash Pack in bulk and flat vending. "Trash Pack continues to experience immense success since the first series launched in 2011 and we anticipate it to snowball," said Allstar vice president Sharon Shlien...

I recently met a young man who was new to business. Bright-eyed and enthusiastic, he looked as if he was wearing his first grownup suit. He managed to land a decent job in a creative field, but he now seemed perplexed. Returning from a corporate retreat where junior employees were encouraged to "think outside the box," he was confused that many of his "out of the box" ideas had been shot down immediately... by Hank Schlesinger

Over the years, there has been a good deal of discussion about the relationship between "vending" and "retailing." Most operators always have thought of themselves as retailers; but they also have been warned (with increasing urgency, over the past 10 or 15 years) that they must start thinking like retailers, not technicians... by Tim Sanford

A question raised during a networking session I attended at the NAMA OneShow was "What trends do you anticipate in vending over the next five years?" Several people raised their hands and said, enthusiastically: "Micromarkets! Healthy vending! Technology. My comment to the group? We are trending! This is happening right now…" by Alicia Lavay