Smoko just got a whole lot less admin.
Two Kiwi fellas have invented PieBot - a hot pie vending machine that you can order to your worksite, saving you the legwork of actually walking to the closest dairy to nab the savoury treat.
You can get one for your next smoko by heading to their website and giving them a phone call. It works just like filling up your car with gas at a prepay tank: You scan your EFTPOS card first, then the doors open and you take as many pies as you want. The machine knows how many pies you take, and charges you accordingly.
The pies stay hot as they are heated in the morning and kept warm in the machine while a driver delivers them, staying hot all the way down your gullet.
Sasha Mates and Vincent Wong came up with the idea after their bosses “gave them a bit of smack for going to the bakery all the time."
“We thought: ‘Why not bring the bakery to us?’,” Mates told 1News.
They’ve just started rolling them out to worksites and big surprise, they’ve proven to be a hit already.
“The tradies absolutely love it. They’re always waiting for us to stock up the pages and there’s sometimes lines to the machines. Everyone wants to get their hot pie and, to be fair, pies are just a New Zealand cultural icon.”
"As soon as our van goes on-site, the swarm of tradies come and follow us, ready to buy the first pie,” added Wong.
The fellas added that it’s not limited to construction sites, so office workers can get involved too.
This is seriously awesome Kiwi ingenuity on display here. The next step is to add a Blue V vendo on the side and they will have perfected smoko.
