Primepick, a New York-based company that designs and manufactures robotic food kiosks, is expanding to new locations.
The startup is bringing MealMate, a fully certified, unattended kiosk that serves hot dishes in 5-7 minutes, to a hospital and a nursing home in the Tri-State area, its fourth and fifth sites.
Beyond the region, Primepick is preparing three new deployments in Huntsville, Chicago and Dallas.
These installations follow earlier ones at manufacturing sites in New Jersey and Connecticut and at Molloy University. For hospitals, manufacturing facilities and other round-the-clock environments, MealMate provides access to complete hot meals beyond traditional foodservice hours, without requiring an on-site kitchen or additional foodservice staff.
At the university, students order hot meals between classes and late into the evening, including dishes from local BBQ and Asian restaurants. At manufacturing plants, the kiosk feeds workers on every shift.
Primepick designs and builds the MealMate platform in-house. It is available in multiple configurations, holding between 90 and 285 meals to accommodate a variety of locations and demand levels.
Two robotic arms transfer meals between the kiosk’s compartments: -18ºC frozen storage, three industrial-grade microwave ovens, and a warming cabinet that keeps pre-ordered meals ready for pickup for 30 minutes. Primepick uses a custom, multi-part, insulated tray with a foldable utensil neatly integrated inside the packaging.
A proprietary software system controls robotics and payment processes and manages merchandising, sales analysis, restocking, customer support, loyalty programs, and more.
Restocking does not need a fixed planogram: operators can place meals in any free freezer slot, and the kiosk does its own stocktaking, automatically updating inventory.
The system collects detailed telemetry, automatically diagnoses faults, sends maintenance alerts and initiates recovery procedures – maximizing uptime and minimizing the need for technician visits.
Primepick applies a marketplace model to the vending industry, allowing customers to access their favorite meals from local restaurants, dark kitchens and eateries – all conveniently stocked in the kiosk.
This approach benefits both customers and food partners: restaurants can reach new audiences through an additional distribution channel, while Primepick streamlines operations and creates new commercial opportunities.
Dmitry Vilbaum, Primepick’s CEO, says: “At the end of the day, it all comes down to great food. We partner with talented chefs and local restaurants who prepare every meal with the same care and creativity you’d expect in their dining rooms.
“Our goal is to make real, freshly made cuisine accessible to people working late, studying after hours, or caring for others – anyone who deserves a nourishing, chef-made meal whenever they need it.”
Customers can order meals directly at the kiosk, order online, or use the app to select a convenient pickup time, helping reduce queues during busy periods, including shift changes. Cashless payments, loyalty rewards and promotions are integrated into the system.
In busy locations such as hospitals, factories and colleges, people may not always be able to collect their meals immediately. For that, each meal is kept hot in the warming cabinet for 30 minutes until pickup. Every menu item clearly lists allergens and nutrition facts, providing full transparency and peace of mind.
MealMate is compliant with all major health, safety and electrical standards required for commercial food equipment in the United States, including NSF/ANSI 25, UL, and FCC requirements.
