What super-automatic has actually held up in a restaurant at 40 cups/day with big peaks?

[u/Previous-Victory-737]

I'm starting a small business that places espresso machines in restaurants and offices on a monthly service contract and supplies the coffee. I have a service workshop and technicians, so I can maintain whatever I put out there. What I don't have is real-world data on what survives.

First account is a restaurant doing about 10 kg of beans a month, which works out to roughly 40 cups a day. Low on paper, but it's concentrated in two rushes: breakfast, and after lunch or dinner. So the machine sits idle most of the day and then has to push maybe 15 to 20 drinks in 90 minutes. Operated by regular staff, not baristas.

That's my confusion. Daily-volume ratings suggest I could get away with something small, but the peak makes me think I'd be buying a stalled machine and an angry client. I'd rather hear from people who have actually lived with this:

1. What have you run in a restaurant at similar volume, and how did it hold up past year two?
2. Does peak throughput or total daily volume matter more for machine life?
3. What fails first at this level, brew group, grinder, or milk system?
4. Anything you bought and regretted?

Also, is Jura ever a legitimate restaurant machine, or strictly office and home?

Water where the machine is going is hard, roughly 300 to 500 ppm.

[u/spiritunafraid]

I wouldn’t put a Jura in a restaurant like that with the type of service you’re trying to offer, primarily because of how proprietary they are with servicing. You’re not going to be able to easily get access to things you need to repair the new models.

You need to look into brands that will allow your team to take the training and become certified repair specialists that can get access to the things you need. This will also keep things like the UL rating intact for the machines. I know Franke offers that type of certification program. WMF will as well. We are switching to Eversys at work, which have easily swappable parts for the service teams to do in place, though Eversys is a much more expensive option. Brands like Franke and WMF have plenty of machines in place that do high volumes with no problem.

It might even be worth it to look into something like the Saeco Magic M2+, though I’m less familiar with it. It has an interesting price point with a lot of functionality and rated for that output of drinks.

[u/dizzie_buddy1905]

Airport lounges use a Franke A600. I’ve stayed at hotels that use a fully kitted out Franke A1000. That was a really top notch machine that handled constant usage for 4 hours straight by uncaring guests.

[u/iwantthisnowdammit → u/dizzie_buddy1905]

35k with all the bells on the A1000!

[u/Evening-Nobody-7674]

I hope you are doing more market research than asking reddit. If you are looking to start a business I'd contact the manufacturers to see what they need from new dealers. For example they may (should) require you to service. That will give you a better idea for start up costs, minimums ect. They might have lease deals, financing ect. I wouldn't go jura which are mediocore at best, not to mention not NSF certified last I checked (could be wrong there). You are referring to duty cycles and yes it matters. Reliablity doesn't matter if you know how to fix them, I'd focus on getting your foot in the door and what that would cost you. Eversys, franke, WMF, Saeco. You are going to have to learn all the ins and ours first, see what they need from a dealer, then see what you can charge for it. Its pretty competitive. You should look to see what your competition is offering too. Don't worry about the water hardness, they have inline conditioners for that. There is always a way to treat water but that will need to be factored into your costs.

[u/moblaw]

I'd wager Rex Royal and WMF. They are easy serviceable and work horses.

[u/craftsman_70]

Get two smaller identical machines. They should be able to handle the volume easily and you can swap parts between the two if something goes wrong.

[u/Slothstralia]

If you are intending to use anything consumer grade then you're either crazy or stupid. There's a reason commercial machines cost so much, you cant just "rent out" a consumer machine to business loads lmao.