Scott Hoffman never had the desire to restock soft drinks, bottled juices or snack foods in vending machines, but he gladly does it six days a week because he loves to sing. Read on.
Hoffman, a professional singer for many years, and a one-time member of the renowned Ray Conniff Singers, made a conscious decision seven years ago to return to his native Utah, settle down and start a family. Yet he wanted to maintain his opportunities to sing and share his talents through teaching and coaching. Enter the vending machines.
He and is father Frank are owners of Hoffman and Father Vending Services, a business he runs out of his West Jordan home. When he came back to the Beehive State, he purchased three machines through a company called Antares, and placed the first one near the apartment he was renting at that time in Midvale. The machines he uses are quite unique - a combination soft drink machine similar to what you see selling Coke or Pepsi products, but with a snack machine attachment on the front. Hence, they are part of the latest energy and space saving generation of vending machines. They are called "refreshment centers."

"The technology today is wonderful for these machines," Scott said. "They're very intelligent machines. They never break down and seldom cause any grief, so they're a very popular addition to businesses offering drinks and snack to their employees."
He realized that the income from the machines would allow him to continue his singing and coaching career. It has. Scott is heavily involved with the barbershop quartet associations in Utah, has perfomed locally on a regular basis when time permits, and is growing his voice and speech coaching business as will.
"I had a pretty transient lifestyle for many years," he recalled. "I wanted to settle down, so I came back, met my wife Julie, and we now have a 2-1/2 year old son Preston. The business has provided us with the steady income we've needed as I've started by coaching and teaching.
It was his father Frank who always joked that he and his entertainer son "should put an act together and call it Hoffman and Father," Scott remembered. "So when I decided to begin my vending business and dad became a silent partner, well, the name just fit."
Scott currently has 21 refreshment centers throughout the Salt Lake Valley, and would like to place three or four more machines at local businesses. He also wants to rein in his territory a bit, finding locales for those machines in businesses at the south end of the valley.
" The beauty of these machines is that I can cater to the needs and wants of the customers they serve," he said. "I can offer both Coke and Pepsi products, a variety of juices, and just about any prepackaged snack desired. Plus I'm a local guy - I can get to a machine within no more than a day while a lot of other machines are operated by companies out of state."
And Scott's centers also have two other advantages - they are energy efficient, using only about a tenth of the electricity of even a regular soda vending machine, and they take up the sane space as a soda machine. That means both drinks and snacks are available in a unit that can easily fit in many locations.
Hoffman and Father Vending Services would be happy to speak to your business about placing a refreshment center in your locale. You can reach Scott Hoffman at 635-5955.