Healthy vending kiosks offer fresh options at Shops At North Bridge

This arrived in the inbox this week and well, I just love it to pieces!!! Vending machines are usually synonymous with junk food, but the new vending kiosk at Shops At North Bridge will offer fresh salads, soups and healthy snacks. Really? Kale Cesear Salad. Lentil Chili. Lemon Pepper Chicken. From a vending kiosk? I just love everything about it! Kudos to Farmer's Fridge!

FARMER’S FRIDGE ANNOUNCES NEW LOCATION AT THE SHOPS AT NORTH BRIDGE ON MICHIGAN AVENUE

New Vending Kiosk Brings Fresh On-The-Go Salads, Soups and Snacks to The Magnificent Mile

(Chicago, IL) –Farmer’s Fridge, a new vending kiosk concept that dispenses gourmet salads and snacks made fresh daily, announces their new kiosk location at The Shops at North Bridge located at 520 North Michigan Avenue. Perfectly located on The Magnificent Mile, the new kiosk is easily accessible for shoppers at the four-level shopping center featuring more than 50 world-class retailers, 20 restaurants and a flagship Nordstrom.

Located at the top of the escalator on the fourth floor food court, customers can choose from several delicious salad options, as well as breakfast and snack items, that are made fresh each morning and delivered by 10 a.m. The touch-screen refrigerated kiosk provides a quick and easy transaction in approximately 90 seconds. The kiosk will give nearby office workers and shoppers access to healthy food options, and it will also showcase local Chicago innovation to the large number of tourists who pass through the shopping center on a regular basis.

“Our mission is to revolutionize healthy eating for people on-the-go, and a fully automated retail storefront in a premium shopping center on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue fits right into our master plan,” says Luke Saunders, founder of Farmer’s Fridge. “We are grateful to the forward thinking management company behind The Shops at North Bridge for helping a home-grown Chicago business expand to a prime location.”

The new kiosk will feature new menu options such as the Carrot-Ginger Soup and the Kale Caesar Salad, among many others. Salads start at $8 with a weekly special "Jar Du Jour" for $7. Plus, all items are $1 after 6 p.m. with the code “after6.” All salads can be paired with proteins for $2 and salmon for $4. Snacks are $4.25.

 Highlights from the menu include:

Salads

·         The Cheater: Romaine lettuce, turkey bacon, white cheddar, hard-boiled egg, sunflower seed, local corn, carrot, organic cucumber and grape tomatoes. Served with honey mustard dressing.

·         Antioxidant Salad: Mixed greens, mixed berries, sliced almonds, grated carrots, goat cheese and sprouts. Served with white balsamic vinaigrette.

·         Kale Caesar Salad: Sweet potato, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, parmesan, Chia seeds, kale and spicy egg white croutons. Served with Caesar dressing.

·         High Protein Salad: Spinach, corn, peas, pumpkin seeds, figs or currants, broccoli, chickpeas, parmesan and quinoa. Served with lemon tahini dressing.

·         Detox Salad: Kale, fennel, pineapple, sprouts, blueberry, quinoa and cannellini beans. Served with lemon-cider dressing.

·         Mediterranean Salad: Mixed greens, artichoke, white cannellini beans, cucumber, tomato, black olives, grated parmesan, pine nuts and oregano. Served with balsamic vinaigrette.

·         Crunchy Thai Salad: Mixed greens, Napa cabbage, cucumber, snap peas, carrot, sweet pepper and water chestnuts. Served with soy peanut dressing. 

·         North Napa Salad: Napa cabbage, mixed greens, red grapes, avocado, unsalted pistachio nuts and dried tart cherries. Served with balsamic vinaigrette

Breakfast

·         Quinoa: Almond milk, quinoa, agave, bananas, blueberries and blackberries.

·         Greek Yogurt and Berries:  Greek yogurt, strawberries, blueberries and local honey.

·         Farmer’s Salad: Cottage cheese, radish, cucumber, sweet pepper, snap peas, tomatoes and chopped dill.

Snacks and Sides

·         Carrot-Ginger Soup: Carrot, ginger, onion, celery and miso.

·         Lentil Chili: Lentils, carrots, onions, celery, potato and turkey bacon.

·         Cauliflower Soup: Vegetable broth, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, cauliflower and potato.

·         Cauliflower Fried Rice: Shaved cauliflower, peas, carrots, onions and marinade.

·         Sliced Apples: Mixed Apple Slices, local honey and almond butter.

·         Slices Vegetables and Hummus: Carrots, celery, cucumber and hummus.

·         Energy Bite: Almonds, oats, flax seeds, cocoa, fig, coconut, vanilla extract and agave.

Proteins

·         Lemon Pepper Chicken: Chicken breast baked in lemon juice and olive oil with salt and pepper seasoning.

·         Tuna Salad: Lemon-dill tuna salad with minced celery.

·         Baked Tofu: Lemon balsamic marinade.

·         Poached Salmon: Lemon, cucumber and dill.

The new kiosk and joins the existing locations at Garvey Food Court (201 N. Clark Chicago, IL) and Lake Forest Tollway Oasis (13783 W. Tollway Oasis Srv Rd Lake Forest, IL) with 18 more locations to come by the end of March.  Farmer’s Fridge products are packaged in recyclable plastic jars and each machine contains an on-site recycling bin for empty plastic salad containers. Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options are also available for purchase. The company follows Environmental Working Group guidelines for using organic ingredients, and buys from local farms when possible.

For more information on Farmer’s Fridge please visit www.farmersfridge.com. For more information on The Shops at North Bridge, please visit www.theshopsatnorthbridge.com.

ABOUT FARMER’S FRIDGE

Farmer’s Fridge, a new healthy vending machine concept, delivers delicious gourmet salads and snacks to customers via automated kiosks around the Chicagoland area.  The idea to provide nutritious meals came from Founder Luke Saunders’ realization that health-conscious people were struggling to find nutritious meals and snacks that were easily accessible.  Building on that belief, Saunders drew on his background in manufacturing to create an automated kiosk that could dispense healthy food options.  Farmer’s Fridge offers people healthy, nutritious foods that are delicious and satisfying in a state-of-the art, innovative automated kiosk.  The salads and snacks are made from fresh ingredients available from local produce vendors.  Farmer’s Fridge salads and snacks are handcrafted each morning in a local Chicago kitchen and are stocked daily by 10 a.m.  The company also provides catering to businesses in downtown Chicago. For more information, please visit www.farmersfridge.com.