In news that could make the nonnas of Melbourne clutch their pearls in despair, a gourmet pizza vending machine has been installed at the CBD's Southern Cross Station. The odd new contraption can be found in front of a closed health foods store on the station's top floor, where it mysteriously popped up on August 3 between two temporary hoarding walls.
It’s not fully operational just yet, but much to the delight of hungry travellers in need of a hot meal in a pinch, you’ll be able to buy from it as early as August 14. You only need to wait four minutes for your tasty slice to be ready, and the machine can make four of these bad boys at once. We can’t wait to taste what a futuristic pizza-making robot can cook up!
The automated retail company behind the pop-up vending machine, Me Group, has installed 600 of them across Europe and Japan. Melbourne is the first Australian city lucky enough to score one.
Several more never-before-seen vending machines are set to come next, including a Japanese toy machine, a Monster beverages machine, and one that sells Pokémon, NBA and Marvel cards. Another one-of-a-kind vending machine selling dog treats from Aussie brand Chewy Chews has already popped up in front of a closed pharmacy at the station.
Is this the future? Not exactly. We’re told the machines are only temporary pop-ups while the station looks for new, more permanent retail tenants to take over the space.
So what are you waiting for? Go grab that quickie pizza and make hangry commutes a thing of the past.