Guide
Who Restocks the Machine, and How They Know To
The difference between a machine that is full on a Friday and one that ran out on Wednesday is entirely about how the operator decides when to come.
Under a managed arrangement the operator owns the stock and restocks it. The machine reports its own stock levels, so replenishment can be scheduled against actual depletion rather than a fixed round — which matters in venues where one night out-sells the rest of the week. The venue is not asked to order, count, fund or handle product.
Telemetry against fixed rounds
A fixed round visits every venue on the same cadence regardless of what sold. It is simple and it is wrong in both directions: over-visiting quiet rooms and under-visiting busy ones. Stock telemetry means the visit is triggered by what the machine reports, which suits venues with uneven trade — which is most of them.
The unit holds up to 100 products across 10 selections, so the practical question is not total capacity but which selections empty first.
What the venue does
- Nothing to order. The operator owns the stock.
- Nothing to count or reconcile.
- No cash to handle — payment is by card at the machine.
- No product behind the bar.
- Provide access at an agreed time. That is the whole of it.
Access, which is the only real negotiation
Restocking needs someone to reach the machine with a case of product. In a bar that is trivial during the day; in a nightclub it means agreeing a window that is not mid-service, and a route that does not cross the floor. Agree this at the survey rather than discovering it on the first visit.
| Who attends | The operator's own person, not a courier |
|---|---|
| When | An agreed window, set per venue around trading hours |
| Access needed | To the machine and to the route to it |
| What the venue supplies | Access, and nothing else |
Product mix
Which selections a machine carries should be set for the room rather than shipped as a default planogram, and revisited once there is sales data for that specific venue. Afterwrk's product categories are not yet confirmed publicly, and we would rather say that than list a range we might change. Ask us where that stands →
How Afterwrk handles it
We choose, buy, own and replenish the product. Restocking is scheduled against what the machine reports rather than a fixed round. The cadence for a specific venue is agreed with that venue, because a Tuesday-quiet cocktail lounge and a Saturday-heavy club are not the same problem.
Last reviewed . A person rechecks the sources before this date changes.
Common questions
Does the venue ever have to restock it?
No. The operator owns the stock and replenishes it.
How does the operator know it is low?
The machine reports stock levels remotely.
Can we choose what it carries?
The mix should be set for the room. Afterwrk's product categories are not publicly confirmed yet, so ask rather than assume.
See whether your venue qualifies
The assessment applies everything on this page to your actual address.