Food Watch update: Living the dream (despite freezing temperatures) -- NYC's Cupcake ATM opens for business

Top Ten Things Overheard In Line for the Cupcake ATM. "Why the rest of the world hates us!" says Dave. "A new, more convenient way to get fat -- an ATM machine, for the love of God." (Actually, Dave, as we noted Friday, Sprinkles has previously tried the machines out in Beverly Hills, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Dallas.)

by Ken

On Friday this department reported ("The long wait is over -- fancy-shmancy 24/7 cupcakes from a vending machine come to the Big Apple"):

In a matter of days, if all proceeds according to schedule, it will be possible for any credit-card-toting New Yorker within striking distance of Lexington Ave near 60th Street (myself, I could probably get there from home in an hour, with favorable subway connections) to partake of a fresh Sprinkles cupcake.

"Come Tuesday," we noted, "the miracle machine is supposed to be ready for service." Since we try to stay on top of these breaking news stories, we can now report that the deadline was met, and on Tuesday, according to DNAinfo New York's Lindsay Armstrong, "A Sprinkles employee said that the line formed even before the shop opened at 9 a.m."


It's like, you know, a miracle. (On Tuesday, "a Sprinkles employee said that the line formed even before the shop opened at 9 a.m.")

Here's Lindsay's report:

Cupcake ATM Opens for Business on Lexington Avenue


By Lindsay Armstrong, DNAinfo.com
on March 25, 2014, 5:05pm

UPPER EAST SIDE -- For New Yorkers, cupcakes are now just an ATM swipe away.

Sprinkles bakery's 24-hour Cupcake ATM opened on Tuesday at its Lexington Avenue store to the delight of treat-seeking city dwellers and tourists alike.

"I follow them on Facebook and I've been really excited about this because I love Sprinkles," said Zoe Lee, 14. "I probably come here at least once a week."

Not even the freezing temperatures could deter people from trying the device on its first day in operation.

A line of people consistently 12 to 15 deep waited in the cold for their chance to punch their order onto a touchscreen and have a robotic arm fetch their cupcake of choice.

A Sprinkles employee said that the line formed even before the shop opened at 9 a.m.

Mary Ann, 65, stopped by Sprinkles in the morning before the machine was up and running two buy two cupcakes, but came back in the afternoon to try out the ATM. She said she makes frequent trips to New York City from North Carolina to look after her friend's dog.

"I can look forward to this every time I come back now," said Mary Ann, who declined to give her last name.

The machine is stocked every few hours with Sprinkle's cupcake flavors of the day and can serve up to four cupcakes at once, according to the company.

Lee said the real appeal of the ATM was that it offered the chance to eat cupcakes anytime.

"I think it's really great that it's 24 hours," she said, "and I can come here whenever to get a cupcake." she said.

As for my own personal cupcake needs, these days the only times I seem to be in that neighborhood are walking between the subway and my dentist, and a cupcake doesn't seem like an opportune purchase en route to her office, and afterward I'm usually in too much (financial) pain. Cupcake-wise, though, it occurs to me that tonight I'm headed out to Astoria for a screening of Darren Aronofsky's Noah (with Russell Crowe -- who else? -- as Noah) at the Museum of the Moving Image, and the Rite Aid across from the subway entrance sells boxes of TastyKake goodies.

The obvious problem is that during the long trip home (manageable by as few as two trains only if I make my own unlimited-Metrocard free transfer) there's great risk that most of the box will be consumed. That's my kind of cupcake.

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