Aramark Rolls Out Vibe Micromarket Program For Workplace Clients

PHILADELPHIA -- The foodservice giant has launched a micromarket program. Initially offered to business and industry accounts, Aramark's unattended food and beverage service system is called Vibe.

The company explained that Vibe micromarkets are "designed to bring fresh and healthy foods to consumers who want to grab something quick and satisfying at any time of the day."

A Vibe installation is modular, enabling Aramark to transform a small space into a micromarket stocked with items, including fresh salads, sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, fruits, vegetables and prepackaged meals. The markets also offer a variety of beverages, including such leading brands as Starbucks and popular breakroom snacks.

"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-to-5 day," said Aramark chief operating officer Brad Drummond.

Vibe micromarkets require no onsite employees to manage. Customers use self-service kiosks to scan and pay for their selections, either with cash or "credit-loaded" cards, or traditional credit and debit cards. The markets are maintained on Aramark's route-based service model, in which drivers monitor consumer preferences and replenish the installations accordingly.

Fresh food items range in price from $3.99 to $7.99 for a meal; snack foods are generally priced from 99¢ to $2.99 for higher-end choices like chocolate-covered cranberries.

Vibe market menus are developed on the basis of Aramark consumer research to position "healthy" or better-for-you food choices in areas where consumers are more likely to select them. Aramark is typically able to construct and open a Vibe facility in about six weeks after the contract is signed.

"We have Vibe micromarkets in many corporations and businesses, as well as some hospitals and colleges," Drummond said. "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."

Aramark was founded in 1959 by the merger of two pioneer vending operations, Davidson Bros. Vending in southern California and Chicago-based Automatic Merchandising Co. The new company, named Automatic Retailers of America, acquired Slater System in 1961; at the time, Slater was the nation's largest operator of industrial cafeterias. It became ARA Services in 1969 and Aramark in 1994. Today, Aramark has about 270,000 employees who serve clients in 21 countries.