Fast, clean and no questions about having fries

By IRENE CHAPPLE

The wall, set back a little off Dunedin's George St, has been quite a curiosity for passersby. It is boarded up, and they want to know what's going on.

What is inside is described by its creators as a mix of fast-food outlet and vending Machine - a $1 million project conceived by two Queenstown businessmen at a local pub, built in a barn over the past couple of years and open today for business.

Munchies Express Food store was dreamed up by Rene van Irsel and Graeme Dick four years ago.

"Basically we were sitting around with not much money trying to figure out how to make more money," says van Irsel.

He is a refrigeration engineer and Dick is an experienced chef. Their skills just needed to be matched up.

"I've got some mates in the fast-food industry," said van Irsel. "They always say there's money in food. People have to eat no matter what.

"But there were two problems with fast food. A, it isn't very fast and B, it isn't seen as healthy."

Munchies does produce fast food and also aims to solve the other problem.

The first store is a wall with 35 boxes stacked on top of each other. The boxes contain product and a coin system allows up to five people to purchase at once.

The food - fries, burgers, hotdogs, pork rolls with apple sauce and gourmet salads - is largely healthy, with products which are traditionally cooked in fat, oven-baked instead.

Nutritional analysis of the product can be seen before purchase and the heat and humidity in each box is automated to match the food.

The time the food is on display is monitored and the price is reduced as expiry time approaches.

Behind the wall of food is a kitchen where staff prepare food to replace the sold products.

That set-up means there is no possibility of bad service, because there is no customer service. And the money is kept safe in the deposit boxes, away from staff.

To get this far has been a mammoth project. Five South Island men - van Irsel, Dick, engineer Geoff McMillan, former Brown's Ski Shop owner Derek Brown and IT lecturer Peter Brook - have been involved.

Some sold businesses, others quit their jobs to work on the project, which was supported by Technology New Zealand and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

"Funny," says van Irsel, "we were just commenting last night we are as poor now as we've ever been."

But they are thinking global. Brown is designated official spokesman and when asked if they expect to be successful in New Zealand, he chuckles. "In the world" he says.

They are considering several options. Munchies could be franchised or the computer programme could be sold to fast-food outlets.

Already interest has been huge, says van Irsel. "People are always poking their head around the door."

And tonight van Irsel and his mates will celebrate the opening. How? "By getting pissed" he says. "Haha! Nah. I'll be working my ass off."

Vending Systems