RFID Smart Fridges: Eat Smart Expands with FEIG UHF RFID
More than 100 smart refrigerators across Czechia use FEIG Electronic’s UHF RFID technology and LOCFIELD® antennas for automated checkout and inventory management. New investment is set to accelerate expansion.
Eat Smart Expands RFID-Based Food Retail
More than 100 smart refrigerators across Czechia use FEIG Electronic's UHF RFID readers and LOCFIELD® antennas to identify meals and automate checkout. Operated by Czech food technology company Eat Smart, the system combines item-level RFID identification with edge computing and cloud-based inventory management.
Eat Smart offers fresh, ready-to-eat meals through self-service refrigerators in offices, manufacturing facilities and other workplaces. Founded in 2024 by chef and entrepreneur Filip Sajler together with HOPI Holding, the company provides an alternative to conventional workplace catering.
On October 27, 2026, Czech investment group V-Sharp announced plans to acquire a 25% stake in Innovation Lab, the company behind Eat Smart. The investment is intended to support further growth and potential expansion into other European markets.
FEIG UHF RFID and LOCFIELD® Antennas Solve Reading Challenges
The technology was developed by Czech software company Cookielab, which integrated RFID identification, edge computing, cloud services and digital payment processing.
Each meal package carries a UHF RFID tag. However, the refrigerator's metallic enclosure initially presented challenges for reliable identification. Metal components and conductive coatings affected RFID performance inside the confined space.
Cookielab redesigned the system using FEIG Electronic's UHF RFID controllers and flexible LOCFIELD® antennas, enabling reading zones adapted to the refrigerator's interior.
LOCFIELD® is a specialized UHF RFID antenna technology designed for individually configurable reading zones, including applications involving metallic structures.
Unlike conventional antennas with fixed radiation patterns, LOCFIELD® can be arranged in straight or curved configurations to match specific installation requirements.
The antenna arrangement helps control where tagged meals are detected, while local software compares inventory readings to identify removed products.
How RFID Enables Automatic Checkout
Each meal receives an RFID tag during production. When staff replenish a refrigerator, the system automatically recognizes the products and updates its inventory. According to Cookielab, restocking takes approximately 90 seconds.
Customers authenticate themselves using an employee card or a QR code through the Eat Smart app. They open the refrigerator, select their meals and close the door.
The RFID system compares the remaining inventory with the previous stock record to determine which products were removed. The purchase is then processed automatically.
No individual barcode scanning or manual checkout is required. Cookielab reports that the entire purchasing process can take approximately 15 seconds.
The system also monitors inventory levels, refrigerator temperatures and product availability to support replenishment.
RFID Meets Edge Computing and Cloud Connectivity
Each refrigerator functions as an IoT device with local processing capabilities.
Cookielab developed the software architecture using AWS Greengrass, Node.js and TypeScript, while AWS IoT Core and AWS Lambda support cloud connectivity and centralized management.
Local processing allows essential functions to continue during temporary network interruptions. Transaction and inventory data can be synchronized when connectivity is restored.
The architecture connects RFID-based identification with automated transactions, digital inventory management and remote monitoring across distributed locations.
More Than 100 Locations and 50,000 Meals per Month
Eat Smart began commercial operations in January 2024. By the end of 2025, its network had reached approximately 80 locations, with 312,000 meals sold during the year.
Today, the company operates at more than 100 locations across Czechia and sells approximately 50,000 meals per month.
The investment from V-Sharp is expected to accelerate the rollout of additional refrigerators and support international expansion.
The concept is particularly relevant for manufacturing plants, logistics centers and workplaces operating multiple shifts, where traditional catering facilities may be costly or difficult to operate.
UHF RFID Enables Scalable Unattended Retail
With more than 100 locations operating across Czechia, Eat Smart demonstrates how UHF RFID can support unattended food retail at scale.
The deployment combines item-level identification, automated transactions and cloud-connected inventory management, while FEIG Electronic's LOCFIELD® antenna technology addresses the challenges of RFID detection inside compact, metal-enclosed refrigerators.
The new investment provides an opportunity to expand this RFID-based retail concept into additional markets.