Photo courtesy of Farmer's Fridge

Two fresh-food vending machines will sell salads, wraps and other healthy options on campus starting in mid-April.

Farmer’s Fridge, a company that installs refrigerated vending machines, will add two fresh-food kiosks on the Arnold campus in April.

The vending machinestyle dispensers will contain fresh salads, wrap sandwiches and healthy snacks on the second floor of the Health and Life Sciences and Careers buildings, according to Event Services Manager Peter Kaiser.

“I think it’s a great idea,” first-year sonography student Victoria Church said. “And I’m all for trying new things. So if they want to bring on [more food choices], I say go for it.”

The kiosks join the campus’s three restaurants: Chick-fil-A, Hawk’s Nest Grill & Deli and Subway. The Subway in Careers is closed this semester.

Kaiser said it’s possible Subway could return in the fall but, “It’s going to be partially a decision on the Subway to say, ‘Yes, we’ll be back.’”

Those restaurants could extend their hours next semester if more students take face-to-face classes, the managers said. That could depend on how many classes the college decides to run on campus in the fall, a number the school has not determined yet.

“It depends on [if there are more] students,” Rebekah Busker, who manages the Chick-fil-A in the Health and Life Sciences building, said. “But we hope to be here every day of the normal work week.”

This semester, the Chick-fil-A is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Hawk’s Nest Grill & Deli operates from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

Students said they look forward to buying fresh food from the new vending machines.

“I think it’s a pretty good idea,” first-year game development student Ryan Wilson said. “It’s something I definitely want to try for sure.”

First-year nursing student Arianna Sessoms agreed. “I like trying new things,” Sessoms said.

If Farmer’s Fridge is a success on the main campus, Kaiser said, AACC could install additional vending machines on West Campus and on the Arundel Mills and Glen Burnie campuses.

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