Commercial coffee machines may seem a minor purchase in the grand scheme of things but it’s an important decision to make.
Coffee is important and can be a hot topic of conversation. It’s also a yardstick used by customers and staff to assess just how much an establishment or organisation values them, so it needs to be right!
As you will probably already know, choice is definitely not something you’re short of when it comes to commercial coffee machines. There seems to be as many models as there are blends of coffee!
So how can you choose the right commercial coffee machine for your needs?
We use our many years of experience as coffee experts to outline the key considerations you need to make when purchasing a commercial coffee machine.
All designed to help you make an informed decision.
Buying a commercial coffee machine
Buying a commercial coffee machine can be expensive so you want to get it right.
These tips should help.
Assess your needs
Before you begin shopping, we recommend fully assessing your needs. Where will the coffee machine be used? In an office? In a work’s canteen? A restaurant? Hotel?
Is it for staff or customers? Will there be a payment required for the coffee? Do you need a contactless coffee machine?
Do you need a bean to cup machine or will a filter do? Do you need a full service machine with maintenance and regular coffee deliveries?
And, most importantly, how many cups of coffee per day do you need your machine to make?
The answers to all these questions will determine every other decision that follows, so it pays to spend time considering them from the start.
Coffee machine cost
Commercial coffee machines can be a significant investment to purchase, but you can lease them too. Much will depend on your budget and how you want to manage OPEX and CAPEX.
Quality is worth paying for and will repay your investment with longevity, reliability and productivity. But just because a coffee machine is expensive, doesn’t mean it’s good!
Who will be using the coffee machine?
This expands on the initial question we posed earlier about whether the coffee machine will be used by staff or customers.
We’re digging a little deeper here to understand whether it will be someone who uses the machine every day or whether it will often be first-time users.
This can have an influence over your buying decision as some commercial coffee machines are easier to use than others!
Many machines are designed to be simple but contain so many options they don’t stay simple for long. Others manage to be intuitive and easy to use regardless of who is making the coffee.
The end user can often be the deciding factor for one machine over another.
Will you need special pods or restrictive products?
Coffee pods or shaped coffee packets are all very well but they can restrict what you can use with your machine. There’s no point buying a commercial coffee machine tied to a specific shape and size pod only for them to stop being produced!
You’re better off with a bean to cup coffee machine or filter machine that can accept multiple coffee types with no restrictions or manufacturer tie-ins.
Can you secure reliable supplies of fresh coffee?
Building on the point above, do you have a source of fresh coffee to use with your machine? How about other drinks or products to use with the machine?
Will you have to go and collect coffee or can it be delivered to you? How much running around will you or your team have to do to keep it running?
While coffee delivery is the ideal option, having steady local supplies will also help.
Most bean to cup commercial coffee machines and the majority of filter machines will work with any coffee bean or grounds, so they can make a sound investment.
Pure coffee or other drinks too?
Coffee is exceptionally popular but not everyone wants to drink it. Do you need your commercial coffee machine to also support tea, hot chocolate or other drinks?
Will you need it to serve decaf as well as standard coffee? Provide hot water for people’s own drinks? Serve cold water? Milk or other drinks?
Not all machines can serve all types of drink so you need to consider how flexible you need your coffee machine to be.
Servicing and maintenance
Any commercial apparatus with moving parts will need regular servicing and maintenance. But will it come as part of the price? Will your contract include preventative maintenance as well as reactive support?
Is the make and model of the machine expensive to service? Are parts readily available?
Servicing and maintenance are essential to extract maximum value out of what could be a significant purchase, so you need to be sure!
Installation or standalone
As you probably already know, some coffee machines are countertop affairs where you fill the water tank manually. Other, higher capacity machines, will require a permanent water supply to keep them topped up.
The requirement for a water feed may influence where and whether you can position your commercial coffee machine where you want.
If space is limited and there’s no water supply, you’ll need a coffee machine that can be filled manually. If you need high capacity and have a water supply, you can use one of the larger coffee machines.
Contactless coffee machines
Now everyone is slowly returning to work, our awareness of safety and hygiene is the highest it has ever been. Will your staff or customers be more comfortable with a contactless coffee machine?
If so, it may be worth investing in one of the latest contactless machines. You can either hover over the controls to order coffee or use a special phone app.
Either way, staff can still enjoy their morning coffee without putting themselves, or others at risk.
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Source: http://hrnews.co.uk/key-considerations-to-make-when-purchasing-a-commercial-coffee-machine/
