Sprinkles Cupcake ATM Coming to Chicago

By Anthony Todd in Food on Mar 12, 2012 4:20PM

Our sister site, LAist, has been going on and on about the new Sprinkles cupcake vending machine for weeks. It finally opened last week, and has been dispensing 1000 cupcakes per day with lines around the block. We rolled our eyes, figuring it was a gimmick that might succeed in trend-obsessed LA but would never make it to down-to-earth Chicago. Shows what we know. Sprinkles, the nationwide vendor of icing-covered fluff, is bringing their cupcake ATM to Chicago this summer.

The Reader broke the story with a short blurb on Friday. For anyone with a cupcake addiction, things are about to get real - start jogging now. No word yet on exactly where it will be, but we'd guess it'll show up at the Sprinkles location on Walton.

The Huffington Post visited the Beverly Hills cupcake ATM when it opened last week and shot a video. The machine only takes credit and debit cards, it's very pink, and contains 600 cupcakes. Customers can choose from a wide range of individually wrapped treats, and each costs $4.00.

We've gotta admit, we're geeking out over the ATM itself a little bit. As a substitute for the experience of interacting with store staff, the ATM shows live video of the internal robotic arm going and fetching the cupcake from its storage niche. So, if you get a 4 A.M cravings for a cupcake and some science fiction-style automat action, this summer will be the best season of your life.