The Vend in Rockefeller Center
Looks like Rockefeller Center wants to cater to shoppers who are in a hurry.
Six vending machines have recently landed on the concourse under the famed tourist Mecca — and they spit out everything from chicken pesto sandwiches and ready-to-eat cookie dough to a Brooks Brothers shirt, a shaving kit and an $800 diamond engagement ring.
The Vend, as it’s called by its creator and landlord, Tishman Speyer, has been attracting curious — and skeptical — passersby since it quietly opened in beta mode on the underground shopping concourse a few weeks ago.
No one has yet purchased the engagement ring, though Rockefeller Center has a number of popular romantic spots like the Rainbow Room and the ice rink, EB Kelly, managing director of Rockefeller Center, told The Post.
The idea of The Vend, which has dedicated sales associates and is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., is to offer options to Tishman’s 20,000 tenants during off-hours, Kelly said.
“We have people who might need something first thing in the morning or later at night when other stores are closed,” she said.
But eclectic offerings like a $25 Ruth Bader Ginsburg action figure and a $22 mini-pinata donkey look more like impulse buys.
A Ruth Bader Ginsburg action figure sits in The Vend in Rockefeller Center.
One shopper on Friday afternoon, meanwhile, appeared more concerned about the freshness of the refrigerated food.
“Seared tuna from a vending machine,” said David Lepelstat, who works nearby, scrutinizing a packaged lunch dish priced at $13.95. “That chocolate cookie looks safer to me.”
A Vend associate said the fresh fare from Proper Food — which includes gourmet salads and sandwiches — is delivered every morning and donated to charity at night if it’s not sold.
Shoppers have been weighing in on what else they want stocked, the associate confirmed. They want “more energy drinks,” she told The Post. And “phone chargers.”