Coffee machine for small cafe - ideas please

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Camperjan

Free Member
Aug 9, 2011
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  • #1
    We have a small cafe which is an add-on to our main business and at the moment we just provide instant coffee/hot choc/tea to parents waiting for their children. It's fine as it is but we'd like to improve the range of drinks - these days people want more than just an instant.

    Can anyone recommend a company or a machine, preferably that we could lease not buy, that would make nice hot drinks? I've looked around but am a bit bamboozled - I was hoping there would be a machine that would make different coffees and hot choc. Not vending though.

    Was also hoping for an arrangement where we're given the machine and get supplies from the company - we have a slush machine on this basis and it works really well.

    Grateful for any pointers, thanks.
     
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    superdooper500

  • #2
    It really depends on the volume, could you get away with a domestic tassimo style machine? Or do you anticipate the need for a commercial machine from the get go?

    disclaimer - I got a tassimo machine for christmas and I love it, great for my home office :D
     
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    superdooper500

  • #5
    Camperjan said:
    Thanks. That could be an option, I don't know enough about them, need to research more. Can they do hot chocolate too?
    Click to expand...

    Oh yes! All the fancy coffees and hot chocolates you can imagine. I'm currently sipping away at a Costa Coffee branded Americano. I also have Cadbury's hot chocolate 'pods' in the cupboard too. The thing I like about it is the nice tasting drinks, no mess, easy and quick to operate, and the 'pods' work out at only about 20-25p each. It was a Christmas present, but I imagine it cost no more than £100, and if your cafe is only doing maybe less than 10 hot drinks an hour, it could be an option. Wouldn't recommend it as an alternative to a real commercial machine if you had a decent volume of sales though.
     
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    Vrs_Ltd

    Free Member
    Dec 21, 2012
    31
    7
  • #8
    Espresso coffee or filter? We have a large coffee shop and what you need depends on what types of coffee (we serve espresso and filter) and how much you are planning to sell.

    When we took over our coffee shop we did this the other way round - (the previous owners served really bad/cheap coffee) we found our current, local supplier of coffee who not only supplied us with the coffee but also leased a 2 group espresso machine, grinder and branded mugs/glasses.

    Edit - I would never touch a vending machine.............
     
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    AlexanderR

    AlexanderR

    Free Member
    Jan 5, 2013
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    Leeds
  • #10
    It depends on what you want, if you're looking to do mocha's and latte's at 10 an hour, then the domestic machines will work well. If your busier than that, one of the commercial machines would be a good investment, you can get them 2nd hand, and they're not as expensive as they look.
     
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    crphillips

  • #14
    If you want to make good coffee then go for a fully manual espresso machine. buy decent coffee roasted within a week of use and send your staff for training on how to make an espresso.

    If you want to make cheap naff coffee get a fully auto, bean to cup machine like Starbucks.

    Check out a company called Cafe Society. They lease commercial Brazillia machines. You want a proper commercial one with a rotary brass pump. Anything lesser will pack up in no time.
     
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