Robotic hot food kiosks startup Primepick brings its MealMate solution to new locations in USA
Primepick, a New York-based company that designs and manufactures robotic food kiosks, reports that it is expanding to new locations. The startup is bringing MealMate, an unattended kiosk that serves hot dishes in five to seven minutes, to a hospital and a nursing home in the Tri-State area, its fourth and fifth sites. Primepick is also 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 aforementioned university, students order hot meals between classes and late into the evening, including dishes from local BBQ and Asian restaurants.
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: -18C 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 programmes etc. 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.
Primepick says that it applies a marketplace model to the vending industry, allowing customers to access their favourite meals from local restaurants, dark kitchens and eateries from one kiosk.
“At the end of the day, it all comes down to great food,” says Dmitry Vilbaum, Primepick’s CEO. “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 pickup time. 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. In that case, each meal is kept hot in the warming cabinet for 30 minutes until pickup. Every menu item lists allergens and nutrition facts.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Automation will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
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