BOZEMAN — Bozeman has seen its share of unusual sights, but this one might take the cake — or rather, the steak.
“I don’t know if there’s a lot of meat vending machines around,” said Austin Daniels.
You heard that right: a meat vending machine stocked with fresh cuts from Daniels Gourmet Meats.
WATCH: Craving a steak at 3 a.m.? A Bozeman butcher shop just installed a 24-hour meat vending machine! 🥩 Check out how it works and what you can buy.
“We use family recipes from three generations. I’m a third-generation butcher and sausage maker. Both my grandfather and father were butchers and sausage makers,” Daniels said.
For the past 10 years, Daniels has run his family's meat shop in the northeast corner of Bozeman.
“My whole team really cares about quality and consistency,” he said. “We care about the meat that’s going into these particular products. We buy as much as we can from Montana.”
About a year ago, Daniels had an idea.
“We’ve sectioned off a door on the exterior part of the building. It’s a meat vending machine,” he said.
Two weeks ago, that idea came to life. The touchscreen vending machine offers customers a variety of products — from bratwurst, jerky and meat sticks, to bacon, and even different cuts of steak.
“Everything is stocked fresh daily based upon par levels,” Daniels said.
Wondering how all that meat stays fresh? Daniels explained that the machine has its own compressor, condenser and temperature sensors.
I had to test it out — grabbing a pack of bacon for $10.99 — it was pretty easy.
The most unique feature?
“You can buy Daniels meats 24 hours a day,” Daniels said.
Craving a steak at 3 a.m.? You can make it happen — though that’s not necessarily the main purpose.
“I think our customer base wants to buy meat after 6 p.m. We’re closed Sunday, so it’s a great opportunity for our fishermen, skiers, and avid outdoors people to come in before or after hours. That was the design, and people are pretty pumped,” Daniels said.
