San Francisco-based Le Bread Xpress Inc. said it is partnering with Canteen Vending Services to install and manage Bake Xpress robotic bakery vending machines throughout North America.
Le Bread said its Bake Xpress is the world’s only vending solution that offers pastries, pizza and artisan sandwiches that are freshly baked at time of order.
Canteen has been operating Bake Xpress machines at corporate and university sites in the San Francisco Bay Area since late 2019. Le Bread said success at these installations has led to an extended sales agreement with Canteen to deploy more machines nationwide. The partnership is targeting healthcare, hospitality, entertainment and transportation venues.
“Bake Xpress gives us the ability to offer freshly baked food around the clock to complement our staffed cafeteria services, and in locations where we previously did not provide hot meals,” said Canteen chief strategy and innovation officer Michael Coffey.
Coffey observed that unstaffed foodservice capabilities proved to be valuable during the unpredictable COVID-19 closures over the past year. “We expect that Bake Xpress will continue to be a popular addition to our customers’ breakrooms, lobbies and micro markets,” he added.
Bake Xpress micro bakeries are robotic solutions that offer up to six menu choices per machine, ranging from croissants to pizzas. Each food item is prepared and partially baked at a traditional bakery before being stored in the Bake Xpress refrigeration unit and then freshly baked in Bake Xpress’ smart oven at time of order.
Bake Xpress operators can specify the menu based on their customers’ preferences, choosing from 25 artisan foods created in partnerships with suppliers nationwide.
“We are thrilled be moving into the next phase of our business plan with Canteen based on the success of the pilot Bake Xpress installations in university dormitories and corporate and manufacturing site breakrooms over the last 18 months,” said Le Bread Xpress founder and chief executive Benoit Herve.
