More and more technologies and tools are being used in all areas of professional hospitality, thanks to the growth in digital connectivity. The reason is simple: consumers are increasingly on the lookout for innovative solutions for how things are purchased, in ways that are both simple and safe, reducing the time people need to spend travelling and standing in line, especially with current restrictions in place. This is precisely the kind of need one Italian start-up has been catering to, devising a whole new concept in user services, and providing what it calls “healthy food close to you” (originally created for offices and gyms) in the first ever condominium supermarket. Thanks to the partnership with Gruppo Epta – which supplies technology and IARP counters – chilled vending machines are being installed in the entrances to residential complexes for automatic, round-the-clock sales of healthy, fresh food: appliances that can be positioned anywhere there is an electrical socket to plug them into. Consumers can see the products (ready meals, shakes, fruit and vegetables, cold cuts and cheese, bread and other bakery items made from eggs, milk and flour, and drinks). Using a smartphone app, it is now possible to open the fridge, buy and pay – all without needing to set foot outside the building.