Gastro Coffee Machine Rent or Buy?

Whether you’re looking to boost your café’s coffee output, enhance your hotel’s visitor experience, or just satisfy the coffee needs of your office staff, a professional coffee machine could be an investment worth making.

The first step in getting a gastro coffee machine for your business is to decide which coffee machine type will work best for your concept. The second step is to decide whether to rent or purchase the coffee maker.

There are pros and cons to both of these choices that you should consider. As you read on, we’ll go over the benefits and drawbacks of each method option so that you may make a well-informed choice.

Before we compare buying or renting a gastronomy coffee machine, let’s wrap up the benefits if you go for a professional gastro coffee machine:

Benefits of a gastro coffee machine

Quality

Within the last few years, there has been a significant technological advancement in the field of professional gastro coffee machines. You can now buy a machine that makes coffee that would make any barista green with envy, which was just not possible with a fully automatic machine just a few years ago.

If you’re a coffee connoisseur, you can now drink a cup that tastes like it was made by a professional barista whenever you like, right in your own restaurant.

No matter if you go for a portafilter coffee machine or a fully automatic one, you have to be aware of the benefits of buying or renting the coffee machine and make your decission which best suits your needs.

Lets compare….

Pros and cons of Buying a Gastro Coffee Machine

Pros

Puts Money Back in Your Pocket

You pay more in the beginning, but over time, you will get your monney back with every cup you sell. On the first look, it seems like the cheapest way to simply buy your coffee machine. If you are planning to be in this business for a long time, it can make sense to buy your machine. But there can be unexpected costs, especially if the machine gets older than 2 years and your warranty is gone, that can ruin your proffit. Also be aware of the Cons of buying a professional gastro coffee machine.

In case of an early closing of your restaurant, you can sell your machine again

Sometimes it can be a Pro point: Let’s say you close your business earlier than expected, after just a few years because of any reason. In case you have bought your coffee machine, you have something to sell on to the next business or restaurant owner. But be aware that selling a used professional coffee machine is not an easy task. There are not a lot of potential buyers and most of them don’t want to buy a machine without any warranty.

Cons of Buying Coffee Machine

Unexpected costs

The first Cons we want to highlite if you buy your gastro coffee machine is the fact of unexpected costs that can occure. Normally, a professional coffee machine comes with a warranty time of 2-3 years and after that time, anything that breaks leads to unexpected repairs and therefore costs.

A professional gastronomy coffee machine nowadays is like a advanced computer, has many sensors, electronics and things inside that can break, get expensive when needs to be changed and therefore ruin your profit.

In Cup Quality 

The most important negative point when you buy your coffee machine as we see it is: you are the one who is responsible for the in cup quality of your beverage!

An example: let’s say you are not happy with the incup quality of your coffee one day, you call the company who sold you the machine, they most of the time will tell you that their machine is always top notch and that the problem has something to do with the coffee beans. So you call your coffee beans supplier and of corse, they will tell you that their beans are always premium and roasted to the same level etc.

So what are you going to do? You get one of the two companyies into your restaurant and hope that anyone can fix the problem, pay a lot of money but you get left behind with a quick fix until the next unexpected drop in quality occures.

So that’s two hefti Cons of buying your professional coffee machine. Let’s go into the details of renting a machine then…

Pros and Cons of Renting a Coffee Machine

Pros 

no initial costs and transparent

There are different models available when it comes to renting your machine. Some charge a monthly fee, some charge by cup’s produed. No matter which model you go for, renting a coffee machine let’s you start with no initial costs. Also, it is fully transparent and you can calculate your cost’s when it comes down to calculate your business plan. But be aware to check your rental contract that there are no hidden costs.

No Maintenance Cost

Renting a coffee machine also has additional benefits because of the contract you’ll be entering into with the coffee machine firm.

If there is a problem with the manufacturing process, the client who purchased the ingredients or stock will be provided with a free technician on site to fix your machine. This is a major perk of leasing because it can help you save a lot of money over the years on repairs for problems that aren’t your fault.

Cons of renting a coffee machine

You may have to Pay extra price 

Although the monthly payments are more affordable, the total cost will most likely be higher. In some cases it can result in the same price as if you would have bought your machine, but that depends on how much coffee you brew, how long your renting period is etc.

You Cant Sell your Machine

As you are not the owner of the machine so you will not be able to sell it (so no money back). However it is quite hard to sell used professional coffee machine as mentioned above. Also, there are many models available and if you ask your rental company they may exchange your machine during your rental period. 

To Wrap it up: rent or buy your gastro coffee machine?

Is it better to rent or buy the coffee machine of yours? Both offer advantages and disadvantages, as we’ve seen; your final choice should be dependent on your preferences and available funds for the coffee machine. Also, if you want to offer quality drinks but you are no coffee expert, renting is your way to go!

Think about what will work best in the setting where it would be used. After initially renting the equipment, several businesses have decided to keep using it and renew their agreement with the company. Leasing is popular since it allows you to have the latest and greatest equipment without being stuck with an outdated model.

Some people also want to buy the machine outright so they can have that sense of pride of ownership.