Ever been jonesin' for a freshly baked baguette only to realize that, at such a late hour, you'll have to settle for a stale Safeway roll? Well not any more. Thanks to Le Bread Xpress, a company that NBC Bay Area reports is bringing French baguette vending machines to San Francisco, you'll never need to eat a sub-par baguette again. The ATM-like bread dispenser is already open for business in the Castro.
But just how, exactly, do the machines work? First, the dough is made and partially baked at a bakery in Burlingame. The semi-finished baguettes are then placed in the machine, which has both a built-in refrigerator and oven, and kept chilled and ready until an order is placed. At that time, the baguette is then baked to (we're sure) perfection and is ready to eat in about 20 seconds.
The amazing promotional video embedded below further explains — in a wonderful French accent to boot — that the machine uses "a cloud-based interface, allowing it to be accessed remotely." It also accepts Apple Pay.
"In a mall next to transportation, people come back from work, get their fresh baguette and get home," Le Bread Xpress's Anthony Fountaine told NBC.
The first of these machines (which are already popular in France) to hit SF is located in the Castro's Myriad market hall at 2175 Market Street. A second is slated for Stonestown Galleria.
The price for this machine-made deliciousness? $4.25.
