A company has a canteen or a staff dining room and asks whether a machine makes sense there at all. Our FAQ page gives the short answer: yes, a machine can stand in the canteen or staff dining room, inside the building. Here we spell out how to set it up so the kitchen and the machine don’t get in each other’s way.
The kitchen and the machine do different jobs
The canteen serves meals at set hours, with staff behind the counter. The machine sells without staff: coffee, drinks and snacks. It doesn’t replace the kitchen, and that isn’t its job. It’s an extra for the moment between meals, or for a break after the counter has closed.
One caveat concerns food. Sandwiches and salads in the AI Smart Cooler are marked as planned on the Food page, available once set up at a given site. That’s why, next to a canteen, we mainly talk about coffee, drinks and snacks.
When a canteen machine helps
- before meal service starts and after it ends, as long as the room is open,
- on a short break, when someone wants just a coffee or some water, not a full lunch,
- on shifts, when part of the team works while the kitchen is closed.
The machine is available for as long as the room it stands in is open. We don’t promise round-the-clock access or fixed refill times, because both depend on the place and the contract. Shift breaks are covered in more detail in the guide on coffee on shift.
Which machine for a canteen
- the Coffee Machine (model AV-TCN-NCF-7N): coffee from freshly ground beans, with hot chocolate and lemon tea on the menu too, chosen on a 22″ touchscreen,
- the Snack & Drink Machine (model AV-TCN-CSC-8C): snacks and bottled drinks, chosen on a 49″ touchscreen,
- the AI Smart Cooler (vending cooler, model AV-AF-CFZ-510): water and cold drinks behind a glass door.
You don’t need all three. Sometimes the Coffee Machine alone is enough. We choose the set for the place. Machine screens and labels are in Polish and English. How the three machines split the work is covered in the guide on coffee, snacks and a cooler in the same building.
Where to put the machine in a canteen
Inside the building, in the dining hall or the staff dining room, not outside by the entrance. We agree the spot with you and set it out in the contract. It’s better if the machine doesn’t stand in the path between the counter and the tables: a few people waiting for coffee shouldn’t block the lunch line.
A few simple things matter when choosing the spot:
- a dedicated, grounded 230 V socket, not a power strip already running kitchen equipment,
- signal, because the machines connect over a SIM card (4G),
- for the Coffee Machine, the water supply: bottled water, a jug or a mains water line, settled for each site before installation,
- access for Alnos Vending staff, who come to refill and service the machine.
More on preparing the spot is in the guide on what the site provides.
When an outside company runs the kitchen
Sometimes the employer manages the room while an outside catering company runs the kitchen. In your first message, say who decides about the room, the sockets and access. That way we talk to the right person from the start, and the machine’s spot still goes into the contract.
Who takes care of it
Alnos Vending provides installation, refilling and service, and we agree the scope in the contract. Kitchen staff don’t restock the machine or keep a storeroom for it. We don’t sell, rent or lease the machines: we place and run them under a machine placement contract. We tailor the range to the site (more in the guide on the product range agreed per site).
Where we work
We work in Zamość, Lublin and Rzeszów. If you’re in another city, you can leave a Golden Ticket, and we’ll keep your inquiry for up to 12 months. The offer for canteens is on the Canteens page, and every type of place is on the Places page.
Write to hello@alnosvending.pl, call +48 84 300 10 10, or fill in a Golden Ticket, the machine inquiry form (not a prize draw). One form, one conversation about your place.
The kitchen serves lunch, and the machine serves coffee. Each has its own time.