FOOD & DRINK
THE COFFEE QUESTION
For most employees, good coffee is tantamount to a productive day. Here John
Broad, National Sales Manager for Ringtons Beverages for Business division, looks at the
considerations FMs need to take into account when reviewing hot drinks facilities.
The first question that needs to be answered when looking at hot drinks provisions is the reason for the facility – primarily whether hot beverages are intended to boost income, or if they are more of a free service to staff and others.
If hot beverage facilities are needed as an income stream, choosing which equipment to install has to be based on the activity in the building and the space available for the drinks facility. Options include vending machines with coin payment, manned catering outlet with full service or freestanding self-service coffee machines in catering or retail environments where existing staff manage payment.
Long gone are the days of coffee machines producing poor quality lukewarm coffee and tea in plastic cups and instead bean to cup machines are dominating the market thanks to the higher quality drinks they produce. Such machines can use fresh beans which are ground to order, while milk can be soluble or fresh for a superior quality drink dependent on the operation.
Bean to cup machines use the latest technology to produce an array of drinks. Fully-automatic machines require minimum user involvement and produce all drinks at the touch of a button, while semi-automatic machines deliver espresso at the touch of a button but they are also fitted with steam wands for manual milk foaming which provides the theatre people like. Alternatively, automatic ‘turbo’ wands can be fitted to create consistent, great quality milk.
Long gone are the days of coffee machines producing
poor quality lukewarm coffee and tea in plastic cups.
Consumers are happy to pay a little more per cup for a better-quality drink and with a take-away cup of tea or coffee costing from as little at 20p to produce and average coffee price tipping £2.50 a cup, there’s opportunity to be had by offering a high quality and diverse hot drink range. Fully soluble machines using instant coffee and milk provide another option for those who prefer a low- maintenance and cost solution.
46 | TOMORROW’S FM
Whether bean to cup or instant machines are preferred, staff resource should be one of the first considerations. In-house operated vending machines require stock replenishment, operational training, regular cleaning, maintenance and ongoing stock management. In-house management can result in a higher financial return, quick problem-solving and more control over which beverages are served, but the downside is this does require a dedicated resource to manage it.
A fully-managed service which sees a third-party responsible for stock, cleaning, maintenance and cash is often a more convenient option and can be particularly beneficial where resource is tight or there are number of sites to manage, however as you’d expect it is a more expensive option.
Where drinks are to be made and served to customers by an employee such as in a restaurant or canteen, there are two main machine options – bean to cup or traditional espresso with a barista-trained operator. With espresso machines, quality and traditional coffee making are at the forefront, but they also require a skilled barista, ongoing training and additional facilities such as grinders. Bean to cup machines require less user input and less formal training so they can be convenient where there’s high staff turnover or limited time, however, it is a much more expensive option.
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