Heated lockers coming to a building near you

Following an amenity trend sweeping across other parts of the world, more than 30 heated food lockers have launched across Melbourne building foyers.

Popular food delivery companies Hungry Panda and Fantuan have started delivering to the Foodifox lockers, offered free of charge to building managers, with the costs varied by delivery partners to pay for the speed of delivery and to avoid confusing building rules and restrictions.  

The lockers are big enough to hold a standard delivery bag and keep food warm for up to three hours.

“Our standard locker unit has 17 cubicles, each insulated and with its own thermal heat pad, activated remotely from the proprietary Foodifox platform,” says co-founder Tim Pagram.

“A thermal pad can heat to 75°C, creating an ambient temperature of around 50°C in each cubicle. The unit is powered by a standard 240V power point and is activated, monitored and controlled via mobile telemetry. Given the need of the user to access their meal, we see use patterns of activated cubicles for only 15–25 minutes on average.”

According to Foodifox, the lockers have been a huge hit at launch sites in Melbourne including four high-volume student accommodation buildings run by RoomingKos, as well as 30 corporate locations across the city. They are already common in China and Japan, and their use is also growing in the US and Europe.