| I have a favorite restaurant that has a small flaw. At the end of my meals there, I ask for a cappuccino. “Sorry, but the owner says we don't have room and the machines break down all the time,” is the standard reply from the waitstaff. I am definitely not the only person who enjoys a good cup of coffee as part of my dining experience. In an attempt to work on the owner of my favorite place, I went in search of an easier way to deliver coffee than the old steam-driven behemoths that do indeed take up a great deal of space and require a veteran barista to tease the best from them. New products for the restaurateur wanting to offer profitable cappuccino and espresso drinks to their guests make you wonder if you need the space, the mess and most importantly a barista to get into the game. |
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| It's often not the mess or the cost (up to $15,000) that puts owners off. “You won’t believe the number of times I hear the wait-staff tell customers that the machine is broken, because they don't want to use it,” said John Stevenson of Espresso Plus...More, Inc. “The machines cost from $3,000 up and need an annual maintenance contract because they are pretty temperamental,” he continued. John's company offers one of the new fangled capsule based machines. “Even some larger restaurants want to appear to be grinding coffee and making cappuccinos, just without the fuss or mess,” he said. Espresso Plus...More, Inc. offers a machine for an annual rental of around $400. They also provide the coffee capsules that cost around 55c per cup. With coffee on the menu at an average of $3.50, there's money to made here. “Restaurants like the precise portion control, consistent results and a very simple learning curve for anyone wanting to make a great tasting cup of coffee,” John concluded. |
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| But wait a minute, there is another side to this. “There's a little bit of romance in a hand-made coffee. It's more authentic and soulful than a computerized coffee maker,” said Nick Walton, general manager at Radius in Boston. He recognizes that the new machines are efficient and consistent, but feels that his guests can tell a machine-made coffee from a hand-made one. Radius has a small coffee bar and a barista making a variety of coffees including café au lait, espresso, cappuccino and regular coffee. “We don't find the machine to be too delicate. They last forever and we do have a maintenance contract,” he said. They use Illy coffee and have looked at the Illy pod system, but feel that it is not really a suitable replacement for their hand crafted offering. “It's just such a nice part of the dining experience, especially here at Radius,” he continued. “The coffee bar is part of the performance, part of the whole experience, no automated coffee machine can create the same feeling.” |
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| Nespresso, who have recently set up shop in Boston, have an approach that is a little different from other vendors. The machine from them is free, although the size and type depend on how much coffee you use during a month. Nespresso then charges around 50c per capsule of premium quality coffee. One of the advantages of choosing them is the wide range of coffees that they offer. With all the automated systems you are pretty much tied to the coffee brand, which is a concern to some. Nespresso has a well deserved reputation for excellent coffee and their products include nine coffees ranging from mild to intense. They recognize that some buyers may feel trapped by having to “single source” the coffee, but the initial investment is practically zero and they incentivise restaurants with free consumables and a sliding scale for coffee prices depending on monthly volume. |
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| Greg Den Herder is owner of 33 Restaurant and Stix and has gone with Nespresso machines. "I had a traditional $15,000 machine that broke down and was going to cost $2,000 to repair. So I went for Nespresso as a replacement. They were plug-and-play, so we were up and running immediately," said Greg. "I love the coffee, especially the variety and we have found that each portion of coffee is as fresh as the next thanks to the pod system." |
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| There seems to be a great deal going for the new machines. They deliver consistent results that can be achieved without anything but basic training. They don't make as much mess or take up as much space as traditional machines and there is little or no wastage. On the other hand, you are tied to a single supplier and the cost per cup is arguably higher than with fresh ground. And some customers may have a poor view of machine made cappuccino. This is probably a hangover from earlier products, but nevertheless a real concern. |
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| Of course you can always splurge on a $15,000 machine, a maintenance agreement and then hire a barista. But as my favorite restaurant says, you need the space and a tolerance for the drama when the machine or the barista break down. |
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Food and Beverage 
