From the University of Michigan Byte Technology case study to Williams College and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the theme is the same: access matters.

Byte helps eliminate “food deserts” by providing fresh food when cafeterias are closed or staff can’t cover overnight shifts. According to the USDA, food deserts are an ongoing challenge in both urban and rural communities, making Byte’s 24/7 availability especially powerful.

Healthcare leaders shared how Byte made it possible to support night-shift workers who were previously left without options. For students, staff, or patients, the promise of reliable, around-the-clock food access is more than a convenience — it’s a necessity.

ROI and Revenue Growth in Byte Technology Case Studies

Nearly every Byte Technology case study highlights financial impact. Michigan saw its first two fridges pay for themselves in four months and generate $60,000+ in incremental sales in year one. BYU–Idaho calculated revenue per labor hour, jumping from $20–30 in traditional stations to $115 with Byte. Tomé Catering reported a 60% increase in ROI in their first month.

Entrepreneurs such as Veg’n Out and Simply Good Jars emphasized how recurring revenue from Byte units became the foundation for scaling their businesses.

Efficiency That Reduces Labor Pressure

Labor shortages are a common theme across industries. According to SHRM, food service operators face some of the toughest staffing challenges in the economy. Byte customers routinely credit our fridges for allowing them to “do more with less.”

BYU–Idaho operates a dozen machines with six student workers. Metz Culinary used Byte to serve third-shift employees without adding overnight staff. For busy operators, the ability to expand food service without expanding payroll is transformative.

Data That Powers Smarter Decisions

Behind every fridge is a powerful data engine. Customers highlight how Byte’s dashboard provides real-time visibility into what’s selling, what’s sitting, and what’s about to expire.

This enables operators to reduce waste, adjust pricing in real-time, and forecast demand more accurately. Simply Good Jars and 6AM Health both noted that predictive analytics from Byte reduced spoilage while improving profitability. The BYU–Idaho Byte Technology case study even showed how repackaged unsold items were resold through the system, turning potential losses into new sales.

Flexible, Scalable, and Easy to Deploy

Another consistency: Byte makes it simple to start small and grow fast. Customers repeatedly mention the ease of installing a fridge — just plug it in — and the flexibility to move it if a location underperforms.

Entrepreneurs see Byte as a low-risk way to expand their brand. Universities and hospitals view it as a scalable extension of existing dining operations. In both cases, Byte adapts to the environment rather than forcing operators into a rigid model.

Community Impact Beyond Profit

Perhaps most inspiring are the stories about community benefit. Meals on Wheels New Mexico (Forage) uses Byte kiosks to sell healthy, locally sourced meals, reinvest profits into home-delivered food, and donate unsold items to shelters. Williams College staff take pride in stocking fridges with fresh, healthy options that students love.

Again and again, customers frame Byte not just as a business tool, but as a way to improve wellness, morale, and access to better food.

The Bigger Picture

When you put all these stories side by side, a few truths stand out. Byte fridges deliver:

• Convenience: Fresh food, always available.
  
• Profitability: ROI in months, not years.
  
• Efficiency: Labor-light service that still scales.
  
• Sustainability: Less waste, smarter inventory.
  
• Community Impact: Better access and wellness for the people who need it most.
  

This is why customers — from large universities to scrappy entrepreneurs — describe Byte as a permanent solution, not a temporary experiment.

Byte isn’t just helping operators sell more food. It’s helping them reimagine what food service can look like in a world where convenience, efficiency, and community matter more than ever.

The post What Byte Freezer Customers Keep Saying: Lessons From Byte’s Case Studies appeared first on Byte Technology.

When Should Discounts be Used in Smart Vending?

Timing is Everything:

Discounts can be an especially powerful tool when used to leverage specific time frames. . Here’s how:

1. Off-Peak Hours: Encouraging customers to visit during off-peak hours can help to increase revenue during typically slower times. Offering discounts during these periods can keep the momentum going throughout the day.
2. Seasonal Promotions: Align your discounts with seasons or festivals to create a buzz and attract more customers. For instance, summer discounts on cool beverages or winter discounts on hot soups can be a hit.
3. Weekday Specials: To counteract slow weekdays, introduce special discounts to boost customer footfall.
4. End of Week Specials: Relevant for those operators serving workplaces with 5-day workweeks, setting an end of week special can help minimize losses prior to a weekend.

Byte’s platform allows you to set recurring discounts by day of week or time of day. The kiosk automatically updates pricing based on the schedule you preset, allowing you to “set it and forget it”.

Data-Driven Decision Making:

Utilizing data can help in making informed decisions about when and how much to discount. Here are some data sources and types that can be instrumental:

• Sales Data: Analyzing historical sales data from the Byte Dashboard can help identify patterns and trends, assisting in pinpointing the best times for discounts.
• Time on Shelf Data: Unique to the Byte platform is the ability to see how long each individual product has been on the shelf. Is a specific lot of product about to expire? Set up a targeted discount to avoid taking that product cost as a loss. Download shelf life data from the Products page.
• Customer Feedback: Utilize feedback and reviews to understand customer preferences, which can guide the creation of discounts that are both attractive and relevant. Customers provide feedback directly through the emailed receipt, allowing you to quickly review what people love (and don’t love) under the Feedback section of the Byte Dashboard.
• Competitor Analysis: Keep an eye on competitors’ discount strategies to formulate offers that stand out in the market.

Helpful Data Points for Timing and Amount of Discount:

• Customer Segmentation: Analyze different customer segments and their buying behaviors to tailor discounts that resonate with specific groups. With Byte’s platform you have access to customer emails, giving you the ability to target different customer groups with unique coupons.
• Price Elasticity: Understanding the price elasticity of your products can help determine the optimal discount percentage that maximizes profits without sacrificing customer value. How much is that same sandwich or drink selling for at the local market? At a nearby cafe? Don’t forget that the close proximity and convenience of your Byte kiosk allows you to command a price premium.

Discounts on the Byte Platform

Discover the different kinds of discounts that the Byte platform offers and how they can be customized to cater to various business needs:

1. Standard Discount: Easily adapt to market trends with flexible standard discounts. You can set them as either a dollar amount or a percentage off, which can be applied variably across stores, products, or categories. Plus, schedule them to recur on particular days or hours to maximize impact.
2. Happy Hour Discount: Engage customers during typically slow hours with a happy hour discount. This time-based incentive can be customized in terms of pricing and recurrence, fostering a regular customer base who look forward to these special hours.
3. Shelf Life Discount: Mitigate losses due to spoilage with Byte’s unique Shelf Life Discount. This smart feature lets you apply timely discounts to products nearing their expiration date, promoting quicker sales and reducing waste. For example, a salad nearing its expiry can be marked down by 50%, encouraging customers to purchase it before it goes to waste.
4. Coupons: Enhance customer loyalty and promote new locations using Byte’s coupon system. Offering either a dollar or percentage off, these coupons can be crafted to target specific stores, products, or categories, encouraging targeted sales growth. For example, the coupon code FIRSTTRY can be a fantastic way to boost engagement at a new location.

Use Discounts to Benefit Your Business

Discounting is not just a tool to clear slow-moving products but a strategy to augment your business revenues. Here’s how:

Avert Losses

Utilizing the Shelf Life Discount not only prevents losses from spoilage but also can contribute to revenue generation. Even breaking even by covering costs is a gain compared to a total loss.

Drive Additional Revenue

Explore the potential of Byte’s discount functionalities to catalyze business growth. Successful clients leverage subsidies to facilitate a win-win situation for both the business and the customers. Here’s how it works:

• Subsidies: These are an excellent way to foster a positive workplace environment, boost employee morale, and promote a healthier lifestyle. It can range from time-based subsidies, encouraging healthier food choices, to day-of-the-week specials to uplift employee spirits.

Form Strategic Partnerships

Collaborate with businesses to offer coupons and incentives to their employees, creating a nurturing ecosystem that encourages more usage of the Byte fridge, while offering perks to employees.

Conclusion

From minimizing spoilage to enhancing customer engagement and fostering a healthy workplace environment, Byte Technology’s advanced discounting capabilities offer numerous avenues to grow your business innovatively. Keen on exploring more? We are here to guide you through the endless possibilities.

Get in touch to dive deeper into the dynamic world of Byte’s discounting capabilities.

The post Unlock Business Potential with Byte Technology’s Advanced Discounting Features appeared first on Byte Technology.

Since its inception in 1972, Meals on Wheels New Mexico has been committed to nourishing the community with nutritious meals. However, overcoming the perception of providing “old people’s cafeteria food” has been a challenge for the organization.

Enter “Forage”, the brainchild of Dennis Plummer, the Chief Strategy Officer, and Gaabe Zamora, who envisioned a brand that not only reshapes the organization’s image but also forms a sustainable revenue stream for their mission. Teaming up with Byte Technology, they introduced vending kiosks that offer a variety of healthy, locally sourced grab-and-go meals.

Positioned strategically in healthcare facilities, the Forage kiosks are aligning with the healthcare providers’ mission by offering nourishing food choices around the clock. What sets Forage apart is its commitment to the community; not only are they fueling the local economy by partnering with New Mexican farmers and producers, but they also reinvest 100% of their profits into Meals on Wheels’ home delivery service.

Moreover, Forage is conscious of reducing waste. Any unsold food is donated to local shelters, thus sustaining a cycle of giving back to the community.

With a growing presence in the state and a changing narrative that sees the Forage logo as a symbol of community-driven initiative, the organization is eyeing expansion into other bustling spaces like airports and gyms. It’s not just about offering great food; it’s about “great food that does good”.

In forging a brand that echoes community support, healthy living, and sustainable economy, Forage is reshaping Meals on Wheels New Mexico’s story, one healthy vending machine at a time. It’s a fresh beginning, with a promise of nurturing not just individuals, but an entire community with quality, locally-sourced meals that cater to both taste and wellness.

Show Notes:

00:00 Overview
00:55 The challenge
02:24 How Meals on Wheels found Byte
02:54 About the Forage brand
04:24 Byte’s mission
05:12 How Forage uses Byte Technology
06:36 Forage’s impact on their community
07:12 What Forage is stocking
09:51 Building the Forage brand
10:30 Forage’s experience working with Byte
12:08 Menu price points
13:23 Donating unsold food

The post How Byte Helped Meals on Wheels New Mexico Reinvent the Organization With A New, On-The-Go Concept appeared first on Byte Technology.

Temesgen shares the immense pride his team feels in revolutionizing campus dining with healthier vending options, and reveals the exciting future he envisions for the partnership between Williams College and Byte Technology.

Don’t miss this chance to reimagine the future of campus dining with Byte Technology.

Show Notes:

00:00 Introduction
00:25 The dining program at Williams College
01:11 The problem that led Williams College to seek out Byte
03:13 Why Byte
04:13 Using student card points at Byte kiosks
05:31 Grab ‘n go items they stock
06:33 The results
10:00 Reusable containers for a sustainable solution
10:55 Williams College’s future partnership with Byte

The post Williams College Vending Goes Fresh with Byte Technology appeared first on Byte Technology.

1. Use The Right Tags

Proper selection and application of tags is the cornerstone to accurate inventory counts. What type of tag do you use on each product?

• If the tag is likely to be microwaved with the product, use a microwave safe tag.
• If the tag will be placed on a liquid-laden, metal, or foil lined product, use a metal safe tag also known as drink tag.
• For all other products, use a regular tag.

Once you’ve selected the appropriate tag type for each product, make sure the tag is correctly applied following best practices.

Here are a few tips:

Metal safe and drink tags should be folded at the dotted line and oriented towards the top of the product, like in the video below. The RFID chip is under the folded portion of the tag, and the ample air space and orientation away from the metal and liquid ensures it is read by the antennae.

Orient tags on the product in a way where they will be “seen” by the antennae. This means tags should not be placed on the bottom of products, or end up smushed between products that are stacked. In order to do this, you’ll need to think about how products will be merchandised in the store.

2. Merchandise for Success

Merchandising is the art and science of presenting products in a way that appeals to customers and encourages them to buy. It is an important part of any retail business, as it can have a significant impact on sales. A study by the National Retail Federation found that 70% of shoppers are more likely to make a purchase if a store is well-merchandised.

Consistent merchandising also makes restocking predictable and easy. After all, if you’ve defined where a product is to be placed you eliminate that decision from needing to be made by the restocker.

What are some general merchandising principles that have helped Byte customers succeed?

• If you’re selling drinks, integrate them throughout each shelf. This not only encourages customers to purchase bundles (ex: a sandwich and a drink), but can improve the readability of inventory. Too many drinks on a single shelf can sometimes cause readability issues.
• Mealtimes can guide merchandising as well. For instance, group breakfast items on a top shelf, lunch/dinner items on the middle shelves, and snack time items on the lower shelf.
• Use baskets or merchandisers to orient small snack items upright. This makes the store look more appealing and has the dual benefit of orienting the RFID tags toward the antennae – ensuring inventory is always visible to the store’s antennae.

3. Set Par Levels

Once you’ve determined how products will be merchandised in the store, it’s time to set pars. A par is the quantity of product that should be in a store when fully restocked. When you set pars, you make every restock repeatable and predictable.

To set pars, navigate to the Stores > Restock page. Click the pencil icon on the far right. Edit and save your pars. Learn more here.

4. Use a Pick List to restock

A pick list is an itemized count of the quantity of each product to pack for a restock. Using pick lists saves time, maximizes the effectiveness of each delivery, and ensures a store is well stocked. The Byte Dashboard allows you to export a pick list to CSV or PDF.

Many Byte clients print out copies of the pick list to enable them to easily pack delivery bins. The pick list also includes the address of the store. A store’s address can be updated on the Store > Details page.

To download a pick list, navigate to Stores > click Export icon > select Export Restock as PDF.

5. Always log in using the restocker panel

Now that you’ve updated your store’s pars and printed a pick list, you are set up to make restocking a quick and predictable process. But don’t forget! Always use the restocker panel when performing a restock.

How do you access the restock panel? Hold your finger on the bottom left of the menu screen for three seconds. Then enter your restocker login information. Did you know that under Settings > Users you can edit your restocker username? Make the something short and easy to remember.

By following these tips and tricks, you can ensure that your restocking process is efficient and effective, leading to happy customers and increased sales.

The post How to Restock Your Byte Store Like a Pro: 5 Tips for Efficiency and Accuracy appeared first on Byte Technology.

The Smart Fridge: A Game-Changer for Healthcare Food Service

Byte smart fridges solve this challenge by allowing any hospital food service team to sell fresh, healthy food around the clock. The smart fridge is a small footprint unit that can be strategically located wherever you want to sell food. Its low up-front investment and labor-free model makes for a quick ROI and an ongoing revenue stream. The point-of-sale (POS) system tells you everything you need to know regarding sales volumes, product inventory, aging, and more.

The frictionless POS system allows staff, visitors, and patients to make purchases anytime, anywhere. All they need to do is tap their credit card, mobile wallet, or employee badge, grab their food, and walk away – it’s that easy.

But it’s not just about convenience. The smart fridge’s online dashboard allows your team to view transactions, manage inventories, and see sales reporting in real-time. This means smarter restocking and better inventory management, which translates to saving time for your already stretched team.

Why the Byte Smart Fridge is the Perfect Solution for the Healthcare C-Suite

The challenges faced by the healthcare C-Suite are vast and complex, from nursing recruitment and retention to patient satisfaction and managing financials. Byte Technology understands the challenges and offers a solution that can help ease the burden.

Byte’s smart fridge is a 24/7 solution that shows your staff you care. It boosts morale by providing a “true” break for nursing staff, with fresh food available anytime. The presence of a smart fridge on-site has had such a profound impact that some Byte clients have even received thank you cards from grateful third shift team members.

Plus, it offers a quick ROI and high returns, fitting perfectly within the healthcare mission’s financial framework. The Byte smart fridge addresses many of these business challenges, offering a high return solution that doesn’t require extra work or the worry of theft. It’s an automatic quality control system that adds to revenue and the bottom line.

The Future of Healthcare Food Service is Here

The Byte smart fridge is not just a food service solution; it’s a tool that can significantly improve the work environment for healthcare staff. It can help address major challenges faced by the healthcare sector, from nursing retention to financial pressures.

“What’s great about it is I don’t have to add any extra labor. There’s nothing extra I’m doing. It’s basically taking items from my cafe that closes at 6 and selling it through the night. Now I easily bring in over $10,000 a month. It’s just funny to think about how much revenue is being generated by stocking a machine with items you already have”.

District Manager at Sutter Health

Most importantly, it’s easy to use and provides fresh food 24/7, promoting well-being and satisfaction among staff.

In a world where healthcare professionals work around the clock, having access to fresh food anytime is more than a convenience – it’s a necessity. And Byte Technology is here to make it happen.

Join us in reinventing the way your people eat, and see the difference it can make in your hospital.

The post Why Every Hospital Should Have A Byte Technology Smart Fridge appeared first on Byte Technology.

From inputting and labeling products via the Byte Dashboard, through stocking the fridge and selling fresh food with a full array of state-of-the-art payment methods, this video shows you how Byte’s system works and why large foodservice industry companies and supermarket chains are using Byte to implement fresh food vending at corporations, universities, hospitals, retail locations, and more. 

To get your questions answered, please book a demo.  

The post New Bottom Line 5-Minute Video Demo: Learn How Byte Fresh Food Vending Works appeared first on Byte Technology.

Because we believe in high-quality education as a key component of our customer support, we created Byte Academy as a resource to help you succeed with fresh food vending. This information is free and accessible for anyone, from startups to enterprise organizations.

What Kind of Content is in Byte Academy? 

Byte Academy content includes high-quality educational content in two key areas:

• Sales: How to find prospects and close new locations. This section includes step-by-step information on how to acquire locations, a sample sales call script, a sample PowerPoint deck, and strategies for how to acquire the contact info for appropriate sales prospects.
  
• Account Management:
  How to ensure new customers succeed and how to grow existing accounts. This section includes the procedures for onboarding new locations, how to upsell additional services, and what it takes to encourage new trials.

How Can This Content Help Your Business Succeed?

The foodservice industry can be extremely competitive, so it’s important to have clear strategies and procedures in place, both to attract new customers and to maximize the opportunities for leveraging your existing accounts. 

Thus, with Byte Academy, you have access to the information and resources that can help your business grow. We hope that you take advantage of everything that Byte Academy has to offer. Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help.

The post How Can Free Byte Academy Resources Help You Succeed with Fresh Food Vending? appeared first on Byte Technology.

Now, Publix is expanding it’s fresh food distribution and has chosen Byte Technology’s innovative smart refrigerators in order to create Publix-branded fresh food vending machines at a large variety of locations.

These vending machines are located in various health centers, schools and companies around Florida, such as Flagler Hospital, Halifax Health, the University of Central Florida, Florida Southern, Giant Recreation World, and other locations, with more on the way. 

Customers who already love the Publix brand are now able to purchase delicious market-style sandwiches, sliders, wraps, yogurt parfaits, hummus, fruit cups, soup, Publix brand tea and lemonade, and other fresh food items from these Publix vending machines that are replenished frequently.

As they said in a social media post, “This is just another way Publix Technology works with vendors and others to bring healthy and delicious food solutions to our customers.”

The post Publix Super Markets Innovates with Byte’s Fresh Food Vending To Reach New Channels appeared first on Byte Technology.

Thrive Juicery started with just one brick-and-mortar store. Then, just 11 months later, they added a second store.  Now, they are launching Byte Technology-powered fresh juice kiosks at gyms, apartment buildings, and on university campuses. Thrive’s success is, well, tasty! 

How Thrive Juicery Started

Ann Arbor, Michigan has a huge wellness community with two Whole Foods stores as well as several supermarkets that are all based on wellness. However, Ann Arbor had no fresh juicery. 

At age 37, Thrive Juicery’s co-founder, Anna Mignery’s husband was diagnosed with what they thought was celiac; and he decided to do a juice cleanse to help reset his whole body. Even though they later found out that the diagnosis was incorrect, he could not deny the positive effects that juicing had. The benefits that they felt were phenomenal, and they found that others felt the same way. 

“Thrive was born more out of this sense of calling like we need to provide this for our community” states Anna. Thrive Juicery’s mission is to help the ill overcome, to help the well feel even better, and to help everyone discover their true potential.

Why Thrive Juicery Started Vending

Not long after opening, Anna was being approached by fitness studios and hospitals wanting to be able to sell Thrive’s fresh juices in their facilities. But there was one major hurdle to overcome. Because it’s not a pasteurized product, the juices have to be purchased directly from the producer. 

While traveling, Anna’s husband discovered fresh food vending machines and realized they might provide the perfect solution because Byte’s kiosks are a convenient and accessible way to sell at multiple locations with the product still coming directly from Thrive Juicery. 

Why Byte’s Smart Refrigerators?

Thrive juices, because they are fresh and unpasteurized, have a very short shelf life of about five days. Because of their small size, Byte’s smart refrigerators were a great fit. 

Anna says, “We can sell the products quickly and keep restocking them as opposed to worrying about large amounts of products expiring.” She also says that her locations —the gyms, hospitals, and colleges—are more receptive to using Byte’s refrigerators because they don’t take up much floor space. 

Getting Started Was Easy

Anna explains how simple the process of getting started with Byte was for them. “Byte got the fridges to us quickly and we got them stocked and ready to go. I have someone that just comes in and puts our branding on the sides of the fridge the day we get it, and then we fill it the next day.” 

After the start-up, Byte provided valuable service to help Thrive Juicery continue to thrive.

Anna says, “As a food service person, I’m constantly worried that the refrigerator might not be at the right temperature. But if there’s anything that I’m worried about, I go to my Byte Dashboard and all the data and analytics are there. There are also tutorials. If I have a question, I’ve been able to find the answers easily.” 

Anna’s satisfaction with Byte’s fresh food vending machines is palpable, “We have had customers that have been asking for some time for something like this. We just didn’t have the solution, but now we do. Cold press juicing is a labor of love, and Byte ended up being the perfect platform. It’s helping us to fulfill our mission.”

The post How a Meaningful Fresh Food Mission Can Be Fulfilled with Byte Technology Smart Fridge Vending appeared first on Byte Technology.

With our most recent Dashboard software upgrade, you get even more. Read on to discover just a few of the Byte Dashboard’s new features. 

New Summary Page

The Summary Page’s snapshot of key metrics will now let you quickly view what kiosks need attention, what products need to be restocked, and what kind of profits your business is generating.

Sales Tax

Sales tax is now fully integrated, and you can set the sales tax to be applied separately at each of your kiosks or across all of them. Once sales tax is applied, it will then appear on each customer’s receipt and in all of your transaction reports.

Pick Lists

You now have the ability to download pick lists before you go out on deliveries. Download a CSV or PDF pick list for all the kiosks on a delivery. Then, just grab the appropriate restocking inventory and your restocking runs will be more efficient than ever before.

You now have the ability to download pick lists before you go out on deliveries. Download a CSV or PDF pick list for all the kiosks on a delivery. Then, just grab the appropriate restocking inventory and your restocking runs will be more efficient than ever before.

Detailed Remittance Summary

It’s no exaggeration to say that cash flow is the life blood of any business. That’s why the upgraded Dashboard now provides a complete view of remittances. You can also download a detailed breakdown of credit card transactions and fees associated with each Byte kiosk.

If you’re interested in learning more about Byte’s Dashboard, set up a meeting with our sales team today.

The post How Will Byte’s Powerful New Dashboard Give You Better Realtime Insights & Useful Reports? appeared first on Byte Technology.