Anheuser-Busch’s Office Beer Machine Refills Itself

Source: Food & Wine

By Jillian Kramer

JUNE 23, 2017

Drinking on the job is (usually) discouraged unless you work in one of those ultra-hip millennial start-ups. But if you’ve been trying to liven up the work-a-day atmosphere around your cubicle, Anheuser-Busch is here to help you get your drink on while at the office.

The big beer company is rolling out beer vending machines it’s dubbed the “Office Bud-e,” glass-faced refrigerators that can be stocked with up to 180 of the brand’s beers, dispensed with the push of a button-and your money, of course. “Office Bud-e is the optimal addition to any office kitchen or common space, rendering classic ‘beer runs’ obsolete,” according to a press release. (Side note: if your office makes regular beer runs, send us an application.) Or, “boost office morale with weekly happy hours or be ready to host a company holiday party at the drop of a hat-without having to leave for supplies,” the company encourages.

And unlike other vending machines, which may run out of a favorite candy bar or crunchy snack, the Office Bud-e should (in theory) never run dry. According to AB-InBev, the machine works with sensor springs and Wi-Fi to monitor in real-time the stock inside the refrigerator. When the machine’s inventory of brews run low, it sends an alert to your office manager-or a local delivery service-that it’s time to restock. It can be filled with Bud Light, Budweiser, Shock Top, Goose Island, Blue Point, and Golden Road.

The machines are available now in New York and Chicago and are “free” to lease, though it’s not disclosed how much a bottle of your favorite Anheuser-Busch brew will set you back.

The press release is quick to say the Office Bud-e is cool, and it very well may be too cool for most offices. But we’ll raise a glass to the idea-and hope that a rosé vending machine is next.

http://www.foodandwine.com/news/anheuser-busch-bud-e-office-beer-vending-machine