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Micromarkets Encourage Healthier Eating In Corporate Kitchens

There was a time when the corporate break room was a hodgepodge of vending machines selling bitter coffee, stale sandwiches, and those cheese and cracker sandwiches in Day-Glo orange.

Those kinds of break rooms are largely gone from the scene, replaced in some larger companies by catered kitchens that offer a variety of entrees and snacks. But a Menomonee Falls company called Davians is providing a service for companies that aren’t quite large enough to warrant an on-site restaurant but want to offer fresher options than a vending machine. 

Davians CEO Tim Taylor created Davian's Fresh Market, a 24-hour service that provides fresh food through salad bars and refrigerators. It's a micromarket, which is basically a self-serve, cashless mini-store with fresher food options than traditional automated machines. The service has already been rolled out at companies throughout Wisconsin and is indicative of a larger trend throughout the country. 

Actuant is a conglomerate based in Menominee Falls which is currently using the micromarket service. 

"We downplay some of the treats and snacks. Yes, we have them available, but I have to be honest — most people gravitate toward the fresh salad. They’re going to grab that, they’re going to grab a hot sandwich quicker than they’re going to grab Doritos," says Katrina Gongola, vice president of global talent at Actuant.