3 Problems A Micro Market Solves [INFOGRAPHIC]

As someone who works closely to meet the needs of your building's people whether employees, residents, or guests, you have a lot on your plate. One of the biggest initiatives or challenges you might have is how to meet the food and beverage needs of those who frequent your building day in and day out. Has this been a problem for you? Are you looking for a solution? A micro market-style vending model can serve those needs - and solve three problems in particular. Check out the infographic below.

1. The Versatility of Time

If your building or company staffs odd hours or is open to a variety of shifts, you need a strategy offering consistent food and beverage options across the board. A micro market grants you the capability to offer first shift (and second, third, and so on) the same healthy options anyone else has exposure to. When Leighton Broadcasting in downtown St. Cloud first considered a micro market, they considered the needs of their employees. As a multiple-brand company and home to round-the-clock radio stations, the open access a micro market was just what the company was looking for.

Many people perceive they have a lack of time to eat while on the job; a micro markets offers a plethora of snack, beverage, and fresh meal options all in that convenient grab-and-go style that vending machines made popular, but micro markets make smart. 

2. Health Consciousness 

The ever-elusive balance is a theme nearly every individual encounters in their lifetime. Health usually plays an integral role in the quest for balance, considering people spend nearly nine hours a day working and only one-hour eating and drinking. There has to be a way to combine those two and bring balance and a healthy take on the normal workday, without spending hours in the kitchen. Micro markets are like a bistro-to-go providing healthy, nourishing food options with the same level of convenience fast food chains provide. With todays rising health conscious movement, we aim to provide food and drink options to fit all diets. Micro markets can be stocked with fresh and healthy alternatives with less than:

• 200 calories
• 200mg sodium
• 10% of calories in saturated fat
• 35% of calories or weight in total sugars

Did you know 83 percent of consumers snack on a daily basis? So why not include fresh, healthy, onsite snack options for your employees? Instead of focusing on providing employees with perks that only interest a small group, why not focus on a perk that increases performance and employee satisfaction for everyone. According to Harvard Business Review, "Food has a direct impact on our cognitive performance," and a bad decision at the vending machine can derail a day's worth of productivity. Healthier options -- meaning minimally processed, low-glycemic foods that are high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats - provide sustained energy for high performance throughout the day. Inc's recent article, 10 of the Most Popular - and Tastiest - Healthy Office Snacks in America, reveals some of the most popular healthy snack options among offices, that your employees will love:

• Nuts - containing healthy fats, protein, and fiber
• Protein, granola, and energy bars - a balanced, portable, option to keep you full and energized between meals
• Fresh fruit and dried fruit - apples, oranges, and bananas are great portable fresh snack options. Dried fruit is also a great option with a longer shelf life
• Dark chocolate - a great source of antioxidants, linked to improved heart health, lower cholesterol, increased cognition, and healthy fats
• String cheese - a great source of vitamin D, calcium, and protein
• Trail mix - combining foods rich in fiber, fats, and protein keeping you full and consuming a lower amount of carbs

EATS has been our biggest commitment to our vending business to date. It’s called upon our culinary team’s creativity and strengthened our position on healthy choices across all lines of business, not just vending. EATS labels offer a cohesive, recognizable point of differentiation for Bernick’s, and by offering healthy food options in your company's micro market to keep your employees happy and nourished, at all times of the day. 

When Marco’s VP of Operations Scott Roeder was researching options for his employees, health was one of his highest priorities, which led him and the leadership team to see the benefit micro markets offers in terms of healthy choices. 

3. People-Centric 

Since people spend nine hours a day at work, who they are surrounded by day-to-day matters greatly. If you are continually looking for ways to make your workforce more cohesive or how to add value to your employees’ days, installing a micro market delivers on both. If people are granted a standard 60 minute lunch break, they’ll be faced with how to spend it. If identifying how, what, or where they are going to eat or when, the availability of a micro market on the premises can solve a lot of those concerns.

As a building manager or member of the leadership team, giving your employees the option for fast, fresh, and consistent food right where they work could open up a new avenue or two in terms of collaboration or relationship building. You never know what kind of greatness can come out of the very break room or kitchen within your building!