Yeronga State High School has installed hot food vending machines at its tuckshop, making it only the second school in Australia to offer the technology to give students access to fresh, hot meals without the wait.
The machines operate alongside the school’s existing tuckshop service, helping ease congestion during busy lunch breaks. Students can now pick up a hot meal quickly and spend more of their break time doing exactly that, rather than standing in queues. The initiative reflects a broader push at Yeronga SHS to pair quality food with practical, forward-thinking solutions for a school community of around 950 students located just five kilometres from the Brisbane CBD.
A Tuckshop That Already Goes Above and Beyond
The vending machines build on what is already a well-regarded tuckshop operation at Yeronga SHS. The school’s tuckshop team prepares fresh lunches daily and has earned a reputation among students and families for personalised, friendly service, with staff who know students by name. Orders for hot food are placed in advance through the Qkr! app by 8:30am each school day, a system the school introduced to reduce food waste and streamline service. The new vending machines add a complementary option for students who may not have ordered ahead or who simply want a fast, convenient alternative during the school day.
The tuckshop also moved to online ordering for hot food to cut down on waste, a decision that reflects the same practical, sustainability-minded thinking that sits behind the vending machine rollout.
Innovative Technology in a Diverse School Community
Yeronga State High School opened in January 1960 and has grown into one of Brisbane’s most culturally diverse secondary schools, with students from a wide range of backgrounds. The school offers specialist academies in STEM, the arts, athletics and Spanish, alongside strong academic and vocational pathways. That culture of innovation extends to how the school supports students day to day, and the hot food vending machines sit squarely within that ethos.
Hot food vending machines remain rare in Australian schools. While cold snack and drink machines have become increasingly common on school campuses over the past decade, technology capable of dispensing genuinely fresh, hot meals is a different proposition entirely. The distinction matters for parents and students alike, particularly at a school where lunchtime nutrition supports a full afternoon of learning.
What It Means for Students and Families
For the Yeronga and Annerley community, the new machines offer a practical benefit on busy school mornings when packing lunch or placing an app order before 8:30am does not always happen. Students can access a hot, freshly prepared meal directly from the machine, quickly and independently, and still have time to enjoy the rest of their break.
Families wanting to learn more about the tuckshop, including the Qkr! app ordering system and the full menu, can visit the Yeronga SHS tuckshop page at yerongashs.eq.edu.au or contact the tuckshop convenor on (07) 3249 1416.
Published 23-February-2026.
