In an increasingly complex and expensive labor market, automated coffee solutions can significantly enhance margins for coffee operators. For most Americans, coffee is a part of their life. In fact, according to the National Coffee Association’s NCDT Spring 2024 report, 67% of Americans have consumed a coffee in the last day. These are the highest numbers recorded in recent years. However, the landscape of the coffee marketplace has evolved significantly since 2019.
Drawing consumers out of the home
During the pandemic, more coffee consumption began to shift into the home, a trend that seems to be here to stay, with 82% of consumers consuming coffee in the home each day, and only 26% consuming coffee away from home, according to the NCA. For operators, this poses a critical question: how can consumers be drawn back out of the home for coffee purchases?
According to Datassential’s Buzz 2024 report, the leading factors attracting customers out of the home for coffee occasions are convenience, quality and price. Another alluring factor are beverages which are more difficult to replicate at home, such as espresso-based beverages since fewer consumers have the equipment capabilities to produce at home.
With a strained labor market and increasingly competitive wages commanded by store-level employees, ensuring fast service and high quality, unique beverages, while protecting price to keep things affordable for consumers, is a challenge.
Speed, convenience and throughput
Today’s coffee drinkers are on the go more than ever, with NCA data finding that more than half of away from home coffee is purchased through a drive-thru and an increasing proportion of it is consumed in-transit. While traditional espresso machines are valued for their aesthetics and the barista-theatre they provide, preparing espresso and milk beverages with them can be a tedious process, often involving nearly a dozen steps. Automated coffee solutions can double the potential throughput of a busy coffee bar, resulting in a faster, more convenient experience for the customer, and more revenue for the operator—a win-win situation.
Consistent quality
Not only are the multiple steps involved in preparing traditional espresso drinks cumbersome, but each step also provides an opportunity for a breakdown in beverage consistency if not executed identically by each employee. When more of the beverage production process is automated, operators can feel confident that each step of the process will be executed the same way for each and every beverage. This consistency is the backbone of Franke Coffee Systems automated equipment benefits. Additionally, features such as patented iQFlow™ technology, which controls flowrate in real time to ensure consistency of espresso extractions, and FoamMaster™, which independently controls heating and aeration of milk to create custom and repeatable milk foam profiles, mean the highest quality beverages are not only possible, but repeatable.
Managing labor cost
Not only are staffing challenges expensive for the operator, but high turnover—which complicates consistency, quality and hospitality experience—has become a leading driver in customer dissatisfaction. Automated coffee solutions ensure that not only are fewer baristas required per shift, the process of training staff to produce high quality beverages is greatly reduced, saving operators hours in training labor, all while freeing staff up to focus more on the guest.
The best of both worlds
For operators who want to experience the benefits of automation—reduced labor, training and waste, along with increased consistency and speed of service—while maintaining a focus on design and theatrics of coffee production, the Mytico Due system bridges the divide between traditional espresso culture and contemporary technology. With ambiance ranking fourth as a leading factor in drawing customers to a coffee business, according to Datassential’s 2024 Buzz Report, the elegant design and six color options ensure the machine will be the centerpiece of any cafe environment, while the programmable Barista Levers give the barista a unique way to engage with the machine and provide an element of barista theatre that customers appreciate. Additionally, the precision Swiss technologies that make automated coffee equipment special ensure that not only does the machine look amazing, it creates coffee beverages that taste amazing as well—time after time. To learn more about Mytico Due, click here: Mytico Line: Professional Barista Coffee Machines | Franke or visit us.coffee.franke.com for more general information.
This post is sponsored by Franke Coffee Systems Americas