According to a report in USA Today, Jewish travelers will soon be able to grab a snack in NY area airports. The report says that Kosher Vending Industries, has a contract with New York John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports to install kosher-food vending machines at their facilities.
At JFK, it will install four machines at Terminal 4 in the pre-security area. Two will sell Nathan’s Famous hot dogs. Two other machines will sell a variety of items, including mozzarella sticks, potato knish, vegetable cutlet, pizza rolls and onion rings.
The company says Newark Liberty will also get two machines this month.
(Source: USA Today)
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28 Responses
A Chaver of mine who lives in a small, out-of-town community was recently visiting “the big city” with his family. In one day, the family visited a Heimishe grocery story, pizza shop, candy store and fast food restaurant. At the end of the day, a 10-year old son made an amusing -yet frighteningly insightful- comment.
“Tatty,” he said, “in (name of large frum city) you can eat whereever you want, whatever you want, whenever you want- you can Mamesh feel like a Goy!”
Something worth thinking about here in Galus…
is about time the finally put kosher food in the airports
Have we decided that Nathan’s is kosher? Because that’s the bigger story. And if it’s not in JetBlue’s terminal, it’s a waste.
#2 – I agree. And it is about time that they took all non-kosher food out of the airports….
whos hashgacha will it be under?
Is this the same as they have in 7-11 in monsey?
hot nosh-24/6-what a catchy name!
Great the machine is kosher, but what about the contents?
if they are going after kosher business, why not go after something that all jews may enjoy.nathans franks is not going to do the trick.
Just make sure not to buy any fishy products and take it on board.
Will the vending machines also dispense Tums?
HOW ABOUT CHULENT AND KISHKA THURSDAY NIGHT HU DIDNT THINK ABOUT THAT WILL THEY HAVE STUFFED CABAGE BE4 PURIM
HUNGREY FROM NEW HAVEN CT.
11. Cholent has recently been classified as a weapon and isnt allowed in airports.
Who will decide what is “kosher”?What standards will be used? Will the machines be owned by a reliable company? Will the packageed items be sealed with a hashgocho that can be seen BEFORE you put money in the slot?
For those that are so concerned about who gives the hasgachot on the food that the machine dispenses then bring food from home or to quote my grandfather z”tl, eat straw and make sure you have grown, cut and bailed it yourself.
Dear “Newer Square”,
In today’s day and age, we will limit this to exactly what you said- something to think about and that’s it. I don’t think we are all on the madreiga to start being such prushim. At least with all the restaurants and stores, nobody has any excuse not to keep kosher.
NEWER SQUARE (Comment #1). You write: “in (name of large frum city) you can eat whereever you want, whatever you want, whenever you want- you can Mamesh feel like a Goy!”
Something worth thinking about here in Galus…”.
Where did you – and all the other readers on this website as I can tell from comments I read here every day- get this idea from that we as children of the Ribono Shel Oilom have an obligation to make golus more depressing and more painful then it already is???!!! Where is the source for this in Halacha??? What is so terrible if Yidden nebech have the conveniance of Kosher food in an airport???
The Jet Blue terminal already has kosher sandwiches available, at all Cibo Express outlets. So do the Central and US Air terminals at La Guardia. This is required elsewhere, especially Terminal 4, which is the international terminal. There used to be a kosher deli in Terminal 4, but it closed down years ago. These should eventually go into every airport in America, but especially hub airports where people have extended layovers in eck velt, and the airlines expect them to feed themselves but there’s nothing kosher.
As for hechsherim, it’s the same as for any product. If you don’t like the hechsher don’t eat it. At least it’s there for those who do trust the hechsher. Nathan’s kosher hot dogs (they make both kosher and treif) have a very reliable hechsher, but they’re not glatt so I won’t be eating them. But plenty of people aren’t makpid on glatt, it’s certainly not a halachic requirement for Ashkenazim, and I’m happy that they will have something to eat. They should enjoy it tzu lange yohr. Meanwhile there will be plenty of milchig and parve items for those of us who are more restricted in our diets.
For those flying before these machines come in, just remember these words: CIBO EXPRESS. If you’re at JFK or La Guardia and you’re hungry, ask an airport worker for directions to the nearest CIBO EXPRESS where you will find kosher sandwiches at the same (expensive) price as the treife ones.
PS: I have no connection whatsoever to the business, except as a (literally) satisfied customer.
will the vendor please speak up -)
Don’t know how a hot dog will go into a vending machine, but there exist packaged Nathan’s hot dogs with a hechsher. The meat, however, is not glatt. Therefore, although the hechsher is accepted by certain reliable authorities (I will not name names here, but I am referring to several city-wide va’ads across the country) certain of those va’ads recommend that particular hechsher for milchieg or parve only, but not glatt, stating that in their particular communities, they authorize glatt, only.
I leave to those more informed than me the very interesting and useful discussion of glatt vs non-glatt in today’s markets (I would be interested in reading a discussion about that matter).
Newer Square’,
‘a 10-year old son made an amusing -yet frighteningly insightful- comment.’,,,,
LOL! as you say, a 10 YEAR OLD KID!!!
come on,,,,,
The guy who thought of this will probably make some serious cash. Good idea, better than a camera attached to a phone… this one is actually necassary.
To answer a few of the questions:
USA TODAY beat us out of the the press release but Kosher Vending Industries and Nathans Famous Hot Dog Company have partnered up to create a GLATT KOSHER Hot dog for retail and machine use, due out in the next couple months. Along with Nathans our hot dog machines will be dispensing and are now dispensing Meal Mart Hot Dogs. Our other automated diner disenses foods that are Chlov Israel, Pas Israel and Bishul Israel. All products in the machine are under the watch of the Kof K and Rabbi Gissinger of Lakewood (Chelkas Hakashrut). In a couple of months we will have automated diners under the hashgacha of the CRC. Our updated site will have all our 50 locations in NY and NJ. In the next few months we will start rolling out machines in Baltimore, Washington, Chicago, Connecticut and Miami. We will update you asap. Thanks for the warm wishes.
POST #23 CLARIFIES MY PRIOR POST #20.
The hechsher to which I referred is located in the mid-west, and is not the ones described in #23. Perhaps different plants will be supervised independently, and differently
lemaysa, who wants to eat such foods before you fly?
25 (lgbg),
When a person’s flight is delayed… and further delayed etc., as has happened to me, some Kosher food (besides for pretzels) is definitely appreciated.
#26
you got a point there.
#27,
Thank you.