The amenity your people will brag about.
Barton Springs Vending installs and stocks smart coolers, markets, and specialty vending in Austin apartments, offices, gyms, hotels, and venues, at zero cost to your property. We handle everything. You get happier people.
Zero cost, zero capex
We buy the equipment, install it, insure it, and stock it. You never see an invoice.
Zero effort
We stock, clean, repair, and rotate product. You provide ten square feet and an outlet.
Stocked with Austin
Local cold brew, Hill Country jerky, the good protein bars, and the essentials people forget.
Built for the places people already are
Wherever people live, work, train, or stay in Austin, there's a lobby corner that could be feeding them better.
Apartments & condos
The market in the lobby that shows up on leasing tours and in listing copy.
Best fit: 50+ unitsOffices & coworking
A self-funded, healthy replacement for the lunch budget that went away.
Best fit: 25+ people dailyGyms & studios
Protein, electrolytes, and cold drinks that sell without staff time.
Best fit: 300+ membersHotels & short-term rentals
A lobby market that cuts front-desk refreshment requests overnight.
Best fit: 60+ roomsStudent housing
Late-night demand in West Campus and Riverside, met without a drive.
Best fit: 100+ bedsPick the footprint. We'll bring the rest.
Most Austin lobbies start with one smart cooler. Bigger buildings and offices grow into a full market. Bars, venues, and high-traffic lobbies add specialty vending that brings people in without selling a single snack.
Smart cooler
Tap to open, grab what you want, walk away. AI vision charges only for what left the shelf.
Micro market
Open shelves, coolers, and a self-checkout kiosk. Fresh meals, salads, and a real coffee bar.
Specialty vending
Trading cards like Pokémon, collectibles, nightlife essentials, and other non-food items that give people a reason to stop by.
Four steps. You do one of them.
Get your machine
Four fields on the request form, or text us a photo of the spot you have in mind.
We visit and design your menu
A 15-minute walk-through, a rendering of the unit in your space, and a launch survey for your people.
Installed and wrapped
We deliver, set up, and dress it to match your building. We bring the launch kit; you send one email.
We stock and maintain it
Live telemetry tells us what's selling and what's low. Monthly, we tune the menu from the data and your requests.
What we need from you
- About ten square feet in a high-traffic spot: elevator lobby, mail room, gym entry, pool-deck door.
- A standard 120V outlet within six feet. Wi-Fi is optional; units run on cellular.
- A signature on a simple placement agreement with clear exit terms.
- Willingness to tell your people it's there. We write the email for you.
What you never have to do
- Buy or lease equipment
- Restock, clean, or fix anything
- Handle payments, refunds, or receipts
- Carry the insurance
- Field complaints about an empty machine
- Sign a long contract to get started
Restock after a low-stock alert
Most Austin sites see us well before that.
Service call during business hours
A real person in Austin, not a ticket queue.
Expired products on the shelf
Dates are tracked per item and rotated out early.
Published service levels, written into every placement agreement.
Everything. That's the point.
Equipment and installation
Owned, delivered, and set up by us. Electrical adapters and signage included.
24/7 remote monitoring
Temperature, stock levels, door events, and payment health, watched around the clock.
Data-driven restocking
We restock what your people actually buy, before it runs out.
Cleaning and repairs
Wiped down on every visit. Fixed fast when something breaks. Replaced if it can't be.
Tap to pay
Apple Pay, Google Pay, and every major card. No app, no account, no coins.
Full liability insurance
General and product liability carried by us. Certificate provided before install.
Custom menu and wrap
A menu built from your launch survey, and a unit wrapped to match your property.
Resident launch kit
Announcement email, lobby signage, listing-copy snippets, and a grand-opening sampling event.
Published SLA
Restock and service response times in writing, on this page and in the agreement.
Local on the top shelf
Fresh, better-for-you, and the essentials people forget. Every menu starts with a survey of your people and gets tuned monthly from what actually sells. A "request a product" QR code lives on every unit.
The launch kit, the fine print, and the choice that's yours
You've probably been burned by a vending contract before. Here's exactly how this one is different.
What arrives with the unit
Resident announcement
Email and app-post copy, written and ready to send.
Listing-copy snippets
Two sentences for your rental listings and leasing-tour script.
Lobby signage
Designed to match your branding and ours. Installed with the unit.
Grand-opening sampling
We show up with free product for your people on launch day.
Certificate of insurance
General and product liability, in your hands before install.
Shrink prevention
AI coolers that only open for a card, cameras, and smart placement near staffed areas.
How it runs
Pure amenity
No fees, no commission, no paperwork beyond the placement agreement. The unit is an amenity for your people, not a revenue line to track.
Is my building big enough?
If other vendors called you too small, ask us anyway.
| Format | Minimum | Ideal |
|---|---|---|
| Smart cooler | 50+ units or 25+ daily users | 100–250 units, elevator lobby or mail room |
| Micro market | 300+ units or 100+ daily staff | 400+ units, coworking, hotel lobby |
| Specialty vending | Steady foot traffic, any size | Bars, venues, hotel and student lobbies |
Managing a portfolio? Ask about our multi-property program for regional managers: one agreement, one contact, consistent units across every site.
Be one of our first five Austin sites
Founding properties get extra launch support, first pick of local-maker exclusives, and a say in what we stock city-wide. All we ask in return is an honest review once your people have used it for a month.
One Austin team. Same city as you.
Barton Springs Vending is owned and run in Austin by Jacob "Jake" Boswell. The name is about place: the spring-fed green that runs through this city, and the idea that a building should feel taken care of. We're not a franchise and not a marketplace that routes your lead to whoever bids. When you text, the founder answers.
Not affiliated with the City of Austin, Zilker Park, or Barton Springs Pool. Just named after a place we love.
Service area
Dashed areas open as route density allows. Not in range yet? Ask anyway.
The questions a tired property manager asks on a tour
What does it cost?
Nothing. We buy and own the equipment, pay for installation, carry the insurance, and stock the product. Revenue comes from what your people buy at the machine. You never receive an invoice.
What do we have to provide?
About ten square feet in a high-traffic spot and a standard 120V outlet within six feet. Wi-Fi is nice but optional; our units run on cellular.
Who is liable if something happens?
We are. Barton Springs Vending carries general and product liability insurance and provides a certificate of insurance before install, with your property named as an additional insured on request.
What if it breaks or runs out?
Every unit reports stock and health to us around the clock. We restock within 48 hours of a low-stock alert and respond to service calls within 4 business hours. If a unit can't be fixed, we replace it.
What about theft?
Our smart coolers only unlock for a tapped card and use AI vision to charge for what leaves the shelf, so there's nothing to break into. Cameras, lighting, and placement near staffed areas handle the rest. Shrink is our problem, never yours.
Can we choose products?
Yes. Every location launches with a survey of your people, and we tune the menu monthly from sales data and requests. There's a "request a product" QR code on every unit.
Do people need an app?
No. Tap a card, phone, or watch and go. No app, no account, no coins.
How long is the agreement, and how do we exit?
A simple placement agreement with clear exit terms and no long lock-in. If it isn't working for your property, we remove the unit and part as friends. No contracts you'll regret.
Do we earn anything?
The unit runs as a pure amenity: no fees to you and no commission to track. What you gain is a stocked, serviced perk your residents and staff use every day, at no cost to the property.
How long until it's installed?
Two to four weeks from a signed agreement, including the site visit, menu design, and wrap.
What areas do you serve?
Austin city proper first: Downtown, East Austin, South Congress, South Lamar, Mueller, The Domain, Zilker, Riverside, and West Campus. Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, Buda, Kyle, and San Marcos as our route fills in. Not in range yet? Ask anyway.
Can the unit match our branding?
Yes. Units can be wrapped in your property's colors and logo, and lobby signage is designed to match.
Is there a minimum size?
A single smart cooler works from about 50 units or 25 daily users. Smaller than that? If other vendors called you too small, ask us anyway.
We had a bad vending experience before. Why would this be different?
Because the thing that went wrong, an empty humming machine nobody came to fix, is the thing we built the company around. Live telemetry, a published SLA, a local route, and a founder who answers the phone.
See it in your lobby before you say yes
Tell us about your property and we'll send back a rendering of the unit in your space, a sample menu for your people, and a short placement agreement to read at your own pace.
- 1We reply within one business day. A person, in Austin.
- 2A 15-minute call or a walk-through of your space.
- 3You receive the mockup, the menu, and the agreement. No pressure, no follow-up spam.