A vending machine or micro market for your office costs the property nothing. Chewings Amenities owns the equipment, installs it, stocks it, handles payments and carries the permit. Your office provides floor space and one standard 120V outlet. On sites that meet our foot-traffic minimum, we share a percentage of net revenue with you.
Why hybrid offices broke the old breakroom
The Seattle and Eastside office market runs on a three-day rhythm. Tuesday through Thursday the floor is full; Monday and Friday it is half empty. That pattern is what makes a staffed café or catered pantry impossible to justify — you are paying for five days of labour to serve three days of people.
An unattended market has no labour line at all. It costs the same to run on a quiet Friday as on a packed Wednesday, and it is open at 7am for the early commute off the 520 and at 7pm for the people waiting out I-5. For an office that shrank its footprint but still wants a reason for people to come in, that maths works where a café’s does not.
How do I get a vending machine for my office?
- Walkthrough. We look at the breakroom or kitchen, headcount, and the days your floor is actually busy.
- Layout and product list. We pick the cooler format that fits the space and build a starting product list with your office manager.
- Permit and plan review. We file with Public Health — Seattle & King County. A micro market is a permitted food establishment here, and the permit is ours, not yours.
- Install. Usually a single visit. One 120V outlet, no plumbing, no venting, no build-out.
- Service. We restock on a schedule and adjust the product list from what actually sells.
What does it cost the employer?
| Item | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Cooler and shelving | Chewings |
| Installation | Chewings |
| Product and restocking | Chewings |
| Payment processing | Chewings |
| King County food permit | Chewings |
| Liability insurance | Chewings |
| Floor space and one 120V outlet | You |
| Revenue share on qualifying sites | Paid to you |
Employees pay for what they take, at prices set to compete with the corner store rather than with airport vending. Some employers choose to subsidise part of the basket or run a stocked-pantry arrangement instead — see breakroom services for that model.
What goes in an office market
Our catalogue runs past 3,000 items and your office manager can request specific ones. Offices here tend to land on cold brew and energy drinks in the morning, lunch items and fresh wraps at midday, and sparkling water and protein bars through the afternoon.
The part people actually notice is local stock: Ellenos yogurt, Molly Moon’s ice cream, Ladro coffee, Jones Soda, Marge granola and Hot Cakes desserts. A national operator running a national planogram cannot put those in your breakroom. We can, because we shop the same city you work in. We also carry a standing international range — Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese and Indonesian snacks — which matters more in Bellevue and Redmond offices than most vendors account for.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a permit to put a market in our office?
A micro market in King County is a permitted food establishment, and Public Health — Seattle & King County requires a plan review before it opens. Chewings holds the permit and files the plan review. Your office does not apply for anything.
How small can an office be and still qualify?
It depends on people on the floor, not on headcount on paper — a 120-person company at 40% attendance behaves like a 50-person office. Smaller sites can still work with a compact cooler rather than a full open market. We will tell you honestly at the walkthrough if the traffic is not there.
What if the breakroom is behind badge access?
We schedule restock visits during business hours and work off a guest badge, the same as any other vendor coming onto your floor.
Can we set rules about what is stocked?
Yes. If your wellness committee wants no full-sugar soda, or an allergen-aware list, or a set share of the shelf given to healthier options, that becomes the product guideline and we source to it.
What happens if it breaks?
The coolers report temperature and connectivity faults on their own, so we usually know before anyone in your office does. Repair and replacement are ours. If a charge goes wrong, the employee is refunded and we absorb it.
Their cooler-vending machines provide a modern aesthetic, are easy to use, and have improved our employee’s experience. It is easy to ask to make requests for new products and resolve issues via the QR code on the machine. … We’ve never had to ask for a restock; they are on it.
Brie B. · Google review
Book a walkthrough
We serve offices across Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Bothell, Woodinville, Lynnwood, Shoreline, Renton, Issaquah and Everett from our base in Kenmore. Book a free 30-minute walkthrough and we will tell you what fits your floor — including when the answer is that it does not.
