Have you ever had a cupcake craving so strong, so late at night that you couldn’t possibly wait until the morning to get your sweet fix? Sprinkles founder Candace Nelson did – and her late-night pregnancy yearning for cupcakes sparked one of the most interesting inventions the food industry has seen to date.
They’re called cupcake ATMs and they’re just that: 24-hour, Automatic Teller Machines that act in the same manner as traditional ATMs but, instead of dishing out cash, the machine will dispense freshly made cupcakes.
The vault, which is filled every morning and night, holds up to 600 cupcakes of all flavors and sizes. In fact, the instant machine even offers cupcake options for dogs (yes, you read that correctly). As a consumer, all you do is insert your credit card, choose your flavor(s) and the number of cupcakes you want to buy and let the machine take it from there.
“While the credit card is processing, you’ll see a video of the actual camera on the robotic arm going and getting the cupcake that you’ll receive,” Sprinkles spokesperson Vineet Chaplot explains. “The robotic arm places the cupcake onto a platform, and then the dainty cardboard box is revealed at the turn of a cylinder.”
If you’re thinking of purchasing the delectable desserts from the swanky new machine, expect to pay a little more for the added convenience. According to the company, cupcakes purchased from the machine will cost $4 each – an increase of $0.50 per cupcake compared to those bought in-store.
The first cupcake ATM launched Tuesday at the company’s flagship store in Beverly Hills and is already receiving rave reviews.
The successful chain plans to add cupcake ATMs to its New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago stores this summer.
Industry experts say the new invention could spark a huge trend in 24-hour ATMs for other specialty food products in the coming years.
