What criteria should guide my choice of a vending machine?

Offering a good choice of snacks and drinks to employees and customers makes great business sense, but there are many different  types and makes of vending machine on the market, so choosing the right one can be difficult. Once you know the budget you are working to (for both outright purchases and rental contracts remember to factor in the costs of restocking, servicing and power consumption) then the most important criteria in your search are what you wish to sell (snacks, cold drinks, hot drinks or a combination), the quality of your product (for example with customer facing machines you may wish to consider high end brands or real bean coffee), how the machine accepts payment (coins, card or free vend) and the type of contract you require (purchase only, fully serviced lease, short term hire etc).