Nolan with vending machine

The vision for Dash Vending came to me as student at the University of Oregon in January, 2022. 

As a serial entrepreneur (see more here), I’d seen used vending machines on craigslist and was always curious about the business. My college tuition was entirely self funded, and I was BARELY scraping by financially. I remember shopping at Winco and choosing cans of beans that were Winco brand, so I could save 15 - 20 cents. 

Suffice to say, I always had my ear to the ground for side hustles and new opportunities. 

My best friend and roommate at the time convinced me to take a leap and we purchased a used vending machine. I had no idea what I was doing, but we soon found a business to partner with. 

The business was an apartment building in Camas, WA. We installed the machine ourselves and were off to the races.

To my chagrin, the machine was used often. It averaged over 3 withdrawals per day! 

The business owner called us and was thrilled. Residents were happier and using the machine often.

The customer experience had improved and the apartment complex made an extra $100 per month in vending machine surcharge revenue. He uses this income to treat his staff to lunch once a month and is still a customer to this day.

Since then, Dash Vending has grown into a full-service provider in the Vancouver and Portland metro. We’ve installed machines in Vancouver, Camas, and Portland and are still guided by our core mantra, “do well for ourselves by doing good for others”.

In practice, doing good for others always comes before doing well for ourselves. 

FAQs

  • There are 3 general benefits:

    • Surcharge revenue - You earn a percentage of the surcharge when the machine is use

    • Increased Foot Traffic - Nearby customers who may not visit your store, will come in to use the vending machine

    • Improved Customer Journey - Keep your customers in house and prevent them from driving elsewhere for snacks. Keep employees happy and in your office when they get hungry.

  • Free means free at Dash Vending.

    We offer a full service installation to qualified businesses including the cost of the machine, Wifi box, and product. Assuming your business passes our qualifications (we look for a reasonable level of foot traffic), the only thing you have to cover is the cost of electricity.

  • We service the Portland Metro and Southwest Washington. This includes areas like Battle Ground, downtown Vancouver, downtown Portland, Camas, Washougal, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Tualitan.

  • We know how much work running a business is, and cover all the refilling. This is a truly passive source of income for your company!

  • Absolutely not - we have a network of technicians we rely on. If your machine goes down, you can trust it will be back up and running momentarily.

  • In whatever way is easiest!

    We typically mail a check every 1 - 3 months but can also use apps like Venmo. and Cashapp.

  • We will install a vending machine anywhere it is needed.

    To date, this has included offices, apartment complexes, schools, laundromats, gyms, and warehouses.

  • This depends on how often the machine is used. On average, 1 - 3% of customers that walk in the door will use a vending machine. We send you 10% of the machines profits. This typically means an extra $20 - 200 per month.