Lim Wan Qin, Ameen Talib
The business costs in Singapore can be high. The rentals are high as land is scarce. There is also a labour crunch and F&B operators face a challenge hiring staff. F&B traditionally is labour intensive and prime locations a major driver for walk-in sales. Rental costs for prime locations could be at a high premium cost. On the other hand, many Singaporeans do not cook at home and tend to have their meals ouside. Food Vending Machines provide an interesting alternative for entrepreneurs. The assumption requiring validation is the acceptance of customers to use these vending machines. If customers accept these vending machines, then it can be sustainable. The objective of this research is to determine the sustainability of food vending machines in Singapore. Particularly, this research describes the results of a technology acceptance model and critical incident study based on a simple random sample of 131 usable incidents involving food vending machines through online and face-to-face surveys. The results of this study suggest that while some factors affecting the acceptance of food vending machines are aligned with the technology acceptance model, such factors appear to be of less significance. The taste and quality of food are more significant contributors towards consumers’ satisfactory/dissatisfactory experiences.