Over the past 2 decades I’ve had the pleasure of setting up and running dozens of cafes and one thing is for certain, no two are the same. From grab and go convenience and a drive-thru to crafting the perfect sit-down atmospheres there are so many things to consider when setting up a café. Finding the right equipment is one of the most important decisions you’ll make, and it can be very overwhelming as there seem to be countless options. In the end, how do you choose the best equipment?
Well, let’s start with the basics. What is your concept? What is the experience you are trying to create for your customers? When I am setting up a convenience store, for example, I am looking for equipment that is easy to use and easy to train people on. When I’m setting up a drive-thru, I’m looking for equipment that creates ultimate efficiency so that a team can serve customers as quickly as possible. When I’m setting up a more traditional café, I want people to walk in and see beautiful coffee equipment, because it sets the tone for the beautiful coffee they are about to have. A well thought out concept helps to find the right equipment to match that concept.
When planning out equipment, it is also important to think about the menu. You may find a beautiful piece of equipment that you love, but it does not execute the menu that you have planned. Now your menu doesn’t need to be finalized, but you want to make sure you know the categories you want to offer so you ensure you put together a complete equipment list.
Once you have your equipment list, the next factor when selecting your equipment is the same as when buying most things in life, budget. Brewing equipment can start at $1,000 and go up to $15,000. Espresso machines have an even bigger range going up to $40,000. It’s important your budget includes all of your equipment costs. Don't leave anything out. It doesn’t do any good to have the best espresso machine and yet not be able to afford an espresso grinder.
Next you want to look at your space. There might be a piece of equipment that you really want, but when you lay it out in your space it doesn’t fit. You'll need to consider the height of counters, and which items can fit underneath. You'll also need to factor in the depth of the counters to determine whether it is deep enough for the espresso machine you wanted. This is obviously more important if you are an existing café. Buying coffee equipment is like buying a car; it is yours and there are no returns. If you are a new café, I always recommend putting blue tape on the floor for your counters, and then laying out all the equipment you want with more blue tape. One of my favorite movie scenes is from The Founder when they are on the tennis court running through the store layout. As soon as someone runs into someone else, they change the layout. I’m sure you have plans where the architect laid everything some things, but those are just generic boxes and no guarantee that your actual equipment will fit the same way or that your people will be able to actually operate in that space.
So now you know your space and your budget, with so many machines out there what is really the best? When it comes to coffee equipment, from espresso machines to grinders to brewers, the more control you have the better, because you are better able to dial in your coffee for maximum flavor. But you can only do that, if you know how to do that. So, your skill level is part of this discussion, but more importantly what is the skill level of your current or future staff? Do you envision hours of training for your staff or weeks of training? If the answer is days, then automation is going to be an important feature for your equipment. Automation does not automatically mean inferior coffee. In fact, the trend over the past 3 years in coffee has been focused on excellence in coffee automation in every format. Look at manual brewing as an example.
10 years ago, manual brewing become very popular in coffee houses, and you saw many people move away from large batch brewers. The result was baristas started to make some nice coffees, but there was also a lot of bad coffee being made, because cafes weren’t investing in proper training. Today, we have an entire market of equipment dedicated to single cup brewing. So now making a great single cup of coffee is just as easy as making a great batch of coffee. Conversely, making a bad single cup is also as easy as making a bad batch, so equipment can only do so much.
What is important to you in this equipment purchase? Is it important for your brand or café to have a certain aesthetic? Are you looking for equipment that is more automated to make training easier? Perhaps it’s important to you that the equipment be easy to service. Maybe taste is the most important. There isn’t a correct answer here. Finding the best coffee equipment is about finding the best coffee equipment for you, and that means something that fits in your concept, budget, and space.
Equipment purchasing is something we specialize in. We've gone through many different brands, different models and all in all learned a lot. Opening a new location is 1000% times more streamlined for us. When you're looking to do equipment purchasing for yourself, it can be easier with an experienced professional by your side. That's the beauty of experience - it makes things easier. Whether you're an existing wholesale coffee partner or are looking to partner with us, we would love the opportunity to share this knowledge with you. Call (909) 981- 4031 or Email us today wholesale@klatchroasting.com or consulting@klatchroasting.com.
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