24/7 dessert vending machine opens on Verona Island

VERONA ISLAND, Maine (WABI) - Here’s something to smile about.

There’s a new way to satisfy your sweet tooth, anytime day or night, in Hancock County.

Sweet Cheeks on Route 1 in Verona Island has a new dessert vending machine.

“Where else can you go at two in the morning and get an eclair?” asked Jonathan Beal, owner. “Sweet Cheeks. That’s where you go!”

The vending machine is located in a new addition on the right side of the bakery.

“When the vending machine landed it was all the buzz. Everybody was talking. The customers were like, ‘Oh my goodness! Did you see what’s going on at Sweet Cheeks, what they’re going to have? Well I’m going to have to try it out just to say I got something, a cream horn, out of a vending machine!’” Beal said.

It’s been in the works for more than a year but finally got up and running last week.

“The biggest part is probably the people asking and saying, ‘I come by every Monday you’re always closed.’ Or, ‘Every time I come by at 7:00 p.m. I can never get anything... Oh, I’d like to one day.’ So now there’s no excuse,” Beal said.

Here’s how it works: first, scroll through the selections until you find what you want.

Then enter your payment (either cash or card), slide the window open, and enjoy!

From chicken salad sandwiches to traditional desserts and even some gluten free options, there’s something for everyone.

”Going into this past weekend we were cleaned out every day and it’s awesome. It’s one of those things where you can bake something, and put it out, and wonder, did people like it? And then the feedback was: they love it. And they’re very happy to have it here, and we’re happy to keep refilling it,” he said.

Sweet Cheeks is in its third year in business and Beal says he’s always looking for ways to give back to the customers that keep him going.

“Life is too boring if you do the normal, and you do the ordinary, and the same old mundane. So, we try to change it up and give people something to look forward to when they come and visit us,” he said.

BM, WABI, VERONA ISLAND.

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