Years ago, Dippin' Dots dropped into our lives and their "ice cream of the future" dazzled kids everywhere. But I gotta say, the idea of a soft serve vending machine blows the appeal of Dippin' Dots out of the water (. Don't get me wrong, they're good in their own right, but for this froyo lover and soft serve fanatic, this is a game-changer.
Located at the Moxy Times Square, the world's first soft serve vending machine is part of a collaboration with Curtis Kulig, who is known for his signature "Love Me" design, which is why the machine is called the "Love Machine." In the past, Curtis has collaborated with Cartier, Google, Nike, Pendleton, S’well x Starbucks and (Red), and now he's bringing his swag and signature brand to the food game.
Enough about the background, tell me about the soft serve I can get!
Right now, the machine holds two flavors, Mike's Hot Honey Vanilla (made with "a mix of Mike’s Hot Honey’s signature chili-pepper infused honey") and Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate. You can also opt to get a swirl of both flavors. Spicy vanilla-chocolate swirl? Sign us up!
But Can I Also Get My Usual Toppings?
Of course!
The machine offers your choice of toppings from M&Ms, Oreo crumble, sprinkles, yogurt chips and even Mike's Hot Honeycomb.
So How Do I Get My Dessert?
We were able to test out the machine located near Legasea Restaurant upstairs. It works pretty easily with a touch screen that takes you through your options. Starting with size, you choose between a small ($3), medium ($5) or large ($7). Then you choose your flavors(s), and toppings ($0.50 each). So yeah, maybe it's a little pricey, but the Insta videos are way worth it.
This machine is definitely the way of the future, and it's not only fun to watch, but fun to eat. The Dark Chocolate in no way feels or tastes like it's non-dairy. It's not as creamy as milk chocolate, but the soft serve element gives it a sweeter element than your everyday dark chocolate, so those who aren't usually dark chocolate fans won't feel like it misses the mark chocolate-wise.
However, the vanilla was the real winner. The kick of spice that comes from the Mike's Hot Honey takes it to the next level and makes it more than your average soft serve. Either way, if you're looking for something different and want a social media worthy treat that also tastes great, treat yo'self to this before the weather cools down!