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This is why Sonic Automotive opted to work with a vending management company at one point, only to change course and return the responsibility to regional managers. When they gave a management company a national contract, stores reported high levels of dissatisfaction with the vending service. “I don’t think a national contract is the way to go,” Wilhoite said.
The coffee service, on the other hand, is handled through a national contract.
In situations where locations have committees to evaluate the vending, more thought typically goes into what the service provides and who provides it. A case in point is Green Bay Packaging Inc., which has 122 employees in Fremont, Ohio. The company offers 15-minute breaks for the hourly employees, meaning the vending bank is the only source of refreshments.
Green Bay Packaging formed a committee two years ago that came up with some new requests, and as a result, a new vending company was hired.
Sandy Clark, human resources manager at Green Bay Packaging, said the committee was concerned about a cold cup machine, which was often dirty. “In the spring you’d have fruit flies,” Clark said of the postmix cup machine. The committee also wanted to see more product variety.
When a competing vendor offered more product variety and some new technology, the committee opted to switch operators.
The new operator provides a frozen food machine in addition to the hot beverage, soda, snack and refrigerated food machines.
Instead of a cold cup machine, the new operator provides bottles in addition to cans, bringing more beverage variety. Clark noted that many of the younger employees like things like vitaminwater, which is only available in bottles.
The new operator also provides a debit card that the employees can add value to using a revalue station.
