Abbondanza Fresh Vending

Industry: Fresh Food & Grab-and-Go

Challenge: Labor constraints, food waste, limited service hours

Solution: REDYREF RFID Smart Food Fridge

Results: 60%+ food margins, <4% waste, 24/7 sales, 65 locations + growing

Andrew and Annette Anastas built their New Hampshire deli on traditional values—fresh food, hands-on service, and uncompromising quality standards. But as demand grew, the model that built their success became their biggest limitation.

Three critical pain points emerged:

• Manual processes couldn't keep pace. Despite implementing POS systems, inventory tracking, and scheduling software, growth still required physical presence. The business was operationally sound but fundamentally limited by hours in a day.
  
  
• Labor became a constant bottleneck. Finding and retaining skilled kitchen staff was an ongoing challenge. Staffing issues didn't just create operational headaches—they directly impacted revenue and quality.
  
  
• Fresh food came with unavoidable waste. Cooking to order is ideal for quality but punishing for margins. Over-prep during slow periods and under-prep during rushes made food cost management a constant battle.

The Anastases had built a successful business, but the traditional deli model had a ceiling they couldn't break through.

Fresh meals prepared in a central kitchen are stocked in secure, refrigerated Smart Food Fridges. Customers unlock with a credit card swipe, select items, and RFID technology handles instant transaction processing. A cloud-based dashboard provides real-time inventory and sales data.

The result: Predictable margins (60%+), minimal waste (<4%), complete labor independence, and 24/7 sales—without compromising food quality.

What began as a survival strategy became a scalable growth engine. Today, Abbondanza Vending operates 65 locations across New Hampshire and Massachusetts, serving thousands of fresh meals weekly to corporate campuses, manufacturing facilities, healthcare centers, and educational institutions.

Each location generates revenue without corresponding increases in labor or operational complexity—enabling horizontal growth that would have been impossible under the traditional model.