Mike Evans is the owner of Alibi Cookies.
In the wee hours, when you’re craving a warm cookie, Alibi Cookies has you covered. Owner-operator Mike Evans has created a custom vending machine dubbed “CookieBot” to put an innovative spin on the all-too-familiar late-night cookie business model.
The vending machines – which are currently located in St. Louis and Jefferson City, Missouri – are heated to a constant balmy temperature, and the cookies come out with crispy edges and soft centers. Customers can choose from more than a dozen flavors such as chocolate chunk, peanut butter chip, stuffed red velvet, lemon-white chocolate chip and triple berry. The gooey treats are literally at your fingertips: All you have to do is navigate the touch pad controls, insert payment and enjoy.
What inspired you to create CookieBot? I’ve always loved cookies, and I just wanted to do something different. While scrolling through Facebook late at night, I came across a post about Japanese vending machines that carry practically everything, from sushi to underwear. I thought, “What if I put cookies in a vending machine that could keep them warm?” I believe that timing is everything. Hardly anything is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and I wanted to create something that could be accessible for busy people to satisfy their sweet tooth anytime.
How was CookieBot made? CookieBot is a 7-foot-tall, custom-built machine that weighs 1,200 pounds, and it’s designed to be modular. A lot of thought went into every detail of it. Proper temperature and moisture content are essential for a warm, soft cookie, and I want the customer experience to be the same whether people get their cookies from the store or from CookieBot. To do some experiments, I created a couple mini CookieBots by ripping all the refrigeration guts out of a mini fridge to see what temperature worked best. When we made the first full-size CookieBot, I literally took that thing around town and plugged it into any outlet I could find just to get it out there.
Did you create the recipes for the cookies yourself? All the recipes were also trial and error. I took a lot of familiar favorites and made them my own. I think people in general eat different types of cookies based on their feelings. You have your happier cookies like M&M’s and s’mores, and everyday favorites like chocolate chunk, red velvet and oatmeal raisin; there’s something for everybody. The deluxe peanut butter cup is my favorite. That one definitely brings me comfort because it reminds me of my mom who used to absolutely love peanut butter. She was a chef, and I learned a lot from watching her and helping out in the kitchen over the years.
How would you describe the experience of using CookieBot? I wanted it to be a bright white machine – something different than your average black Pepsi vending machine. There’s a 14½-inch digital touch panel on the front and double-pane glass to keep in the heat. It has wireless payment capabilities, and the funnest part is watching the light box (an LED-lit elevator arm) go up to get your warm cookies. It’s such a unique experience that I tend to have a line at the machine even if there’s no one inside the storefront. It’s awesome to see them smile in amazement throughout the process. People wonder, “How is this possible? What sorcery is this?”
Alibi Cookies, multiple locations, alibicookies.com
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Mike Evans is the owner of Alibi Cookies.