Nuts

[andyrosen]

Hello All:

 

I’m currently servicing a restaurant here in town with a tri-vend (1-800) in the customer waiting area.  The manager approached me today requesting I place another machine that will accommodate pistachios and other assorted nuts near her bar. Will my machines be able to handle nuts and if they can, what other nut types would you suggest?

 

If you have other ideas, please let me know.  Thank you, all J

 

Andy

[AmuseStar Vending Co]

Yes, you can Vend nuts. Use Cachews.

[skyviper73]

If you are getting a request for another machine, GREAT! I agree with the cashews, but be warned, nuts need to move or they will go bad. I saw some cashews in another machine near one of mine that looked SCARY! I would start with a small amount at first and see how they move. Better to have to service more often, than have nuts getting NASTY in the machine!

[Big Mike]

If you can use a single head you already have with one can of nuts.  If they dont move you can always just wash out the machine and eat the nuts. Remember you have to make money so resist pressure to vend to much per vend.

Mike

[West Coast Vend LLC]

I have to agree with all of you. I havn't had to much luck with nuts. They don't last to long. They go stale very quickly. At a bar area they should go fast. Peanuts, cashews, boston baked beans would be good. They are very expensive so your portion control willl be very important when setting your machines. The salt and oil on the nuts also make a mess of the inside of the machine so you will have to clean it more often. I have the same machines so you will have to set them on notch 3 or 4 at most.

Gary

[lurker]

Hi Andy,

I agree with what the pros above said.

I have, however, had good luck with Cashews, and Peanuts, so far.

Planters brand are available at Sam's, (if you have one

close), in large cans.

The Cashews are expensive... here they are $9.88 for 46

ozs. So you have to vend less of those.

The Peanuts aren't too bad... here they are $4.88 for 52 ozs.

So my customers get a few more of those for their quarter.

Boston Baked Beans, (good suggestion Gary), are candy

coated peanuts, and are cheap, so you can vend a pretty

good size handfull and still make money.

Here a 56 oz. bag is like $3.78 With a 1/2 oz. vend @ 25

cents each you make $28.00 a bag.

I can't speak for the Pistachios though. I haven't had

anyone ask for them yet.

Good luck!

Dave

[Tiffeney]

I make money off my cashues they do real well at my bars !  I got them when I bought all my machines soon I will have to buy them for myself and then will notice the price I still have 2 30 pound boxes in the freezer !  I would like to know if anyone has tried Honeynut Roasted ones yet I bet those would sell well ! 

[skyviper73]

Honey Roasted nuts in a bulk machine,,, SALT & SUGAR & OIL to get it nice and messy! Cleaning that out will be a treat!

[Tiffeney]

If it would sell well I would not mind !  I got to do what ever I can do to make big money !

[andyrosen]

Thanks for your feedback, Tiffeney and everyone else.  Do you freeze the nuts you are storing? Also, i understand that nuts have a limited shelf life and then go bad. How long do nuts usually last under moderate temperatures?

[West Coast Vend LLC]

This comes from an article in Wikapedia. It will help answer your questions about "shelf-life" on popular products that you may use.

Some food products sold from bulk vending machines include:

• Peanut M&M's, one of the best sellers, but relatively expensive and vulnerable to cracking and melting if temperature varies greatly. Shielding them from sunlight can prolong their life. Peanut M&M's usually sell slightly better than their plain counterparts.
• Reese's Pieces, another good seller that is cheaper than M&Ms.
• Skittles, which have OK sales but last a long time before going bad.
• Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales, also a good seller, degrade in humid environments. Spraying a large plastic spoon with an unflavored, non-stick cooking spray and then stirring the candy around until it has a shiny look to it can prevent the pieces from sticking together. It is important not to use too much cooking spray, or the candy will seem greasy.
• Runts, a hard fruity candy, are well-suited to surviving hot, humid summer months.
• Gumballs and chicles, a classic seller that can last for two years or more. Bubble gum sells well to children, while chewing gum sells better to adults. Dubble Bubble is reported to be a lower quality gum than Ford Gum and other brands. Gumballs sell best in machines by themselves, as opposed to being an option in a triple-selection machine. Gum is likely to become more popular among adults as more workplaces become smoke-free.
• Peanuts, cashews and other oil-containing nuts, which usually can only last a few months before going bad. Brazil nuts may need to be broken into two pieces to avoid jamming the mechanism.
• Trail mix, which reportedly sells well in locations frequented by truck drivers, but otherwise generally sells poorly. Trail mix is as perishable as the nuts it contains. An abundance of fruit that has a lot of pectin (i.e. it is sticky when moist) may tend to stick together and prevent the machine from vending. The solution is to coat the mix so that it won't be so gummy. With certain Wal-Mart varieties of trail mix, for instance, the raisins are coated with a fine salt powder which keeps them from sticking. The cranberries are dried, but additionally the skin helps to keep them from sticking. In the case of trail mix with fruit that has a lot of the flesh exposed, one might try a fine popcorn salt. Powdered sugar is likely to gum up as well. The only other commonly available food item would probably be corn starch, but it is questionable whether it would impart a flavorable taste. Moreover, stirrers will tend to crush the raisins and make them stick, causing everything to mush together.
• Chocolate covered raisins are a vendible product, but heat will turn the product white.
• Jelly beans, such as Jelly Belly gourmet jelly beans, are a vendible product, but the product costs can be rather high for premium brands.

Gary