Who doesn’t love cupcakes? They’re the ultimate guilty pleasure.
What if there were a machine that dispensed fresh-baked cupcakes 24 hours a day, seven days a week? That would be a whole ‘nother level of awesome, right?
Well, this wonderful machine actually exists. It’s the Sprinkles Cupcake ATM in Beverly Hills.
I stumbled across an article about it back in February and was instantly intrigued. A machine that dispenses just-baked cupcakes from a hole in the wall either day or night? I had to see this.
Sprinkles, which bills itself as “the original cupcake bakery,” has been around since 2005 and currently has ten locations throughout the United States. The cupcake ATM, which opened in February 2012, is the only one so far in the Sprinkles family and is located next to the brand’s flagship bakery on Santa Monica Boulevard in uber-posh Beverly Hills.
After having a Pink’s hot dog in Hollywood on my second day in Los Angeles, dessert seemed like a natural progression so I drove into Beverly Hills, paid two dollars for an hour of parking, and went in search of Sprinkles, strolling past trendy boutiques in which I was sure I couldn’t afford to shop.
It wasn’t long before I stood before the unmistakable multi-colored facade of the machine. Giggling like a small child, I approached it and began following the directions on the screen. After scrolling though the available cupcake options like the black and white (“Belgian dark chocolate cake with creamy vanilla frosting”) or the chocolate marshmallow “Belgian dark chocolate cake and marshmallow cream with bittersweet chocolate ganache”), I selected a red velvet cupcake. Here goes nothin’.
After inserting my credit card into the appropriate slot, a whirring sound began. The selection display on the screen disappeared and in its place appeared a live video feed of a mechanical arm selecting a box containing a cupcake of my chosen flavor. Seconds later, the video darkened and then brightened again as the panel slid away and the box came into view.
Grasping the small, simple package and moving to a brown bistro table just outside of the adjacent Sprinkles bakery, I opened the beautiful box, withdrew the cupcake, and dug in. Moist red velvet cake topped with smooth and lightly sweet and tart cream cheese icing? Man, it was good.
What you need to know about the Sprinkles Cupcake ATM:
- Cost: Cupcakes run around $4 each. Under usual circumstances, I won’t pay this much for a cupcake, but it was fun to try once.
- Forms of payment accepted: Use a credit card. Not only does the machine not accept cash, I inserted my debit card into the machine three or four times and it was rejected each time (I had money–I swear!). The machine accepted my credit card on the first try.
- Parking: there’s available on-street parking (if you can find a spot close by) as well as underground city parking that charges two dollars per hour.
Ultimately, the appeal of the Sprinkles Cupcake ATM is that it’s a throwback to the automats of the early 20th century where people could purchase simply-prepared foods and drink from coin-operated appliances. It’s just kind of neat to put money into a machine and get food from it.
Wait a minute…wha? I’ve been had! Ah, well…
So what if Sprinkles Cupcake ATM is a brilliant marketing ploy? It’s also a sweet, fun slice of life in Beverly Hills.
Just don’t call it a vending machine.
that is too cute. i have heard of this on the news. i make a mean red velvet cupcake myself. great now i want to bake 🙂
Wow! I have never seen anything like this before. I love it though. I can see how you just had to. I could not have gone there and not tried that. So fun.
It’s familiar but novel at the same time. I won’t lie–I’d do it again. It was a lot of fun and the cupcake was really good. Plus, the line at the actual bakery was out the door, so it was a nice, fun, quick way to get my cupcake fix.
That’s something cool and cute that I’d love to try if I was in Beverley Hills:)
Oh, yes…the cupcakes are delish!