Andrew Tucker, managing director of SanRemo UK provides an insight into choosing a beverage machine.
Whether you are new to the café sector or an established operator with years of experience, the process of choosing a new or replacement beverage machine can be quite baffling. Buying your new espresso coffee machine is exciting. Making the right choice should mean a path to excellent profits – but choosing badly could spell disaster! It should be one, if not the major profit generator for your business and is often the one item that you and your staff will really become attached to.
As well as the choice of whether to opt for a traditional espresso machine, a bean to cup, a filter coffee machine or even an instant beverage machine there are numerous brands to choose from, each offering different features and benefits.
Ultimately the type of machine you choose should be influenced by the type of outlet you run. For example, if you operate a mid to higher end café or restaurant then a traditional espresso machine which will allow you to develop a coffee menu with a delicious mix of espresso based speciality drinks, would be ideal. If you run a fast food outlet where time is critical, then a push button instant machine might be better suited.
It is also important to consider the type of customer you attract or are hoping to appeal to. What are they expecting to see on the coffee menu? Are your customers busy mums, professionals, the silver market, young singles? What is their
age, lifestyle, gender, spending habits? Your need to deliver over and above your customers’ expectations so that they keep coming back time after time. You can only do this if you understand what type of coffee offering they are looking for – this will then influence your choice of machine. A traditional espresso machine is the preferred choice for anyone looking to develop a premium coffee menu.
Pedigree
Coffee machines are like cars. They all do roughly the same thing, only the better ones do their job more effectively and more reliably. In a coffee business, you cannot afford to lose customers because your machine doesn’t make very good or consistent coffee or is out of action 5 days per year. Research has shown that consumers have 76% loyalty to their favourite coffee shop and they just won’t come back if they are disappointed with any aspect of your service or coffee offering. Generally speaking, Italian is best. Look for known and trusted brands such as SanRemo. In particular the New SanRemo Verona which is such a shining example of classic Italian design and craftsmanship it will take centre stage at the UK Barista Championship which kicks off with regional heats through from January to March to next year.
Space
Available space is often a key consideration when selecting a machine and may restrict the machines you can work with. Positioning the machine in view of customers, where they can see their drink being made helps buy loyalty by communicating your high standards, not just in coffee, but across your whole offering. Despite space restrictions some businesses choose a larger machine than necessary just for the way it looks on the counter.
Machine capacity
Firstly, think about how many coffees you expect to serve each day? Espresso machines come with either 1, 2, 3 or 4 group heads – each group head will allow you to serve either one or two drinks at the same time. The busier you expect to be at peak periods then the more group heads you will need. If you have a coffee shop or café with up to 30 covers, a standard 2 group machine with mid sized (approximately 10 L) boiler will most likely suffice. 50 covers will require a 2 group with 14 L boiler (if possible connected to a 4-5Kw, 3 phase 415V supply) at minimum and may be worth considering a 3 group machine to cope with the busiest periods.
Automatic or Semi Automatic
Automatic espresso machines have pre-programmable buttons which allow drink brewing times to be pre-set according to cup sizes, drink lengths and coffee blends etc. The barista just presses a button and the brew cycle is taken care of. Automatic machines provide consistency in coffee quality and allow other tasks to be performed while the coffee is pouring, meaning faster and more efficient drink making. Automatic Espresso machines have almost become the norm now and are therefore definitely recommended. Semi automatic espresso coffee machines require a lot more attention from the barista and are often considered as a budget option.
BEVERAGE
To operate a professional espresso machines requires training. It is therefore important that the supplier you choose provides structured on site training for your staff once they have installed and commissioned the machine. Don’t forget to allow a reasonable time for your team to practice making the various beverages you plan to offer before going live with real customers.
Be bold enough to ask to see details of their training programme in advance and ask for references from current customers if you are in any doubt about their customer support ethos and technical service – your profitability or even livelihood may depend on it. In short your coffee machine is not an item to buy over the internet!
Investment
Your coffee machine is likely to be the engine of your business, feeding sales and profits day after day. So before going straight for the most economical option, review your machine selection with return on investment as your primary concern.
For example: if you expect to serve 200 coffees per day, your coffee cost is around 5-10p per cup, with milk and sugar taking this to around 15p. At £1.70 per cup your 6 day week return will be £1,860!
That will net you around £96,000 profit per year, or £300,000 over 3 years!
So spending that extra few pounds to carefully select the best machine for your business really does make good commercial sense!
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