Device for the automatic preparation of a food product and method of offering and/or selling such a food product

Method of offering to a consumer a refreshment that has been prepared in situ, the method comprising:

• providing, to a consumer at a point of sale, a quantity of ingredients in solid form;
• providing, to the consumer at the point of sale, a device for the automatic preparation of a food product;
• prompting the consumer to introduce the quantity of ingredients into the device disposed in situ at the point of sale, thereby ordering the food product comprising the quantity of ingredients;
• receiving, from the consumer at the point of sale, the quantity of ingredients in the device;
• preparing, by the device, the food product by blending the quantity of ingredients in the device;
• and
• offering the food product to the consumer at the point of sale,
• wherein the device comprises:
• a first receptacle for making the food product available for consumption by a user,
• a second receptacle for blending the quantity of ingredients together therein, and
• a motor for tilting the second receptacle automatically from an upright position into a first pouring position after the blending of the quantity of ingredients, so that the food product is transferred from the second receptacle into the first receptacle,
• wherein the offering the food product to the consumer further comprises selling, at the point of sale, to the consumer either the quantity of ingredients and/or the food product.