Dominique Ansel's Innovative Vending Machine Serves Up Cookie Shots

In recent years, vending machines have evolved far beyond just selling juices and soft drinks. In 2018, Ohio State University students were able to grab bacon from a vending machine during finals week, while Cornell University is known to sell campus-grown apple varieties from vending machines. Even freshly grilled burgers can be purchased from a vending machine in a New Jersey mall. While automation continues to become more prevalent in the food industry, vending machines seem to be becoming an increasingly popular supplement to human-run food businesses — especially in bustling areas where people want something quick to take with them on the go.

All this considered, it might be unsurprising news that luxurious bakery-cafe Dominique Ansel (named after its famous owner and pastry chef extraordinaire), opened up a gourmet vending machine in its Las Vegas location last December. And just as it did with the cronut, the bakery put its own unique spin on the vending machine to cater to new and old fans of its signature chocolate chip cookie shots.

The famous French pastry chef recently spoke to Forbes about his newest project, explaining that Vegas would be "the perfect place to create an interactive way to bring the cookie shot" to guests — via the brand's "first-ever Cookie Shot Vending Machine."

Officially called the "Cookie Shot Smark Kiosk,” the machine exclusively carries Dominique Ansel chocolate chip cookie shots and can make up to 75 portions of this frequently-Instagrammed dish in a hour. Fresh Madagascar vanilla-infused milk is poured into every cookie shot mold that is ordered, which is done through the scanning of a QR code.

This piece of technology should be easy for customers to spot. Located inside of the Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino, it's shaped like a giant milk bottle and will run 24/7 on a completely automated basis — which makes sense given its position in one of the country's main destinations for late-night eats.