Many searches start from the same idea: adding a robotic arm to a restaurant's coffee machine, or choosing a coffee machine that is "compatible" with a service robot. A coffee robot works differently. It is not an accessory grafted onto existing equipment, it is a complete point of sale: the arm, the coffee machine, the ordering kiosk, payment and the screen come together in a single unit, which serves customers with nobody behind the counter.
This difference changes the question to ask. It is not about which machine fits which robot, but whether the venue can host an autonomous point of sale, and who it earns money for.
An autonomous point of sale, not one more machine in the kitchen
In a restaurant, a classic coffee machine is operated by the team: someone starts the preparation, serves the cup and takes payment. A coffee robot does all of that on its own. The customer chooses a drink on the touch screen, pays by card, and the arm prepares it before their eyes, behind the glass. The equipment is detailed (arm, kiosk, screens, recipes) on the coffee robot page.
In practice: the coffee robot does not replace the machine used for table service. It sells to passers-by, including when the establishment is closed, since it can run day and night if the venue stays open.
Restaurant, offices, high-traffic place: three different situations
In a restaurant or a café, the robot goes where passers-by can see it: in the window, in a lobby, on a covered terrace. It captures customers who do not come in to sit down, or who pass by outside service hours. The question to settle with the operator is simple: does the robot complement their menu or compete with their own counter?
In offices, the robot serves employees and visitors without tying anyone up. Footfall depends on the headcount on site and the building's hours: a site closed at weekends or during holidays does not sell during those periods, which matters in a profit projection.
In a high-traffic place (shopping arcade, station, building lobby open to the public), everything rests on footfall. This is the case closest to the use the machine is designed for.
In all three cases, the robot is installed with the agreement of the owner or operator of the premises, who sets the conditions (rent, share of revenue, access hours). This agreement is negotiated before the order.
What to check on site
Before any quotation, five points are checked at the location:
- Floor space and height. The coffee robot takes up a little over 2 m² and is more than 2 metres high; the exact dimensions are in the technical sheet. You also need to plan the machine's route to its location (doors, lift, steps).
- Electricity. A 220 V socket; the exact connection is in the model sheet attached to the quotation.
- The internet connection, through 4G or the venue's network: it is used for payment and remote management.
- Water and drainage, also specified in the model sheet attached to the quotation.
- Access for upkeep: someone must be able to come every day to fill the machine and clean it.
What day-to-day running involves
A coffee robot does not need an employee next to it, but that does not mean it needs no upkeep. Coffee, milk and cups have to be refilled, and the machine cleaned. The daily time this represents is given on the investment page. The management app helps reduce it: it reports out-of-stock items and faults remotely, which avoids unnecessary trips.
For a restaurant, the question is therefore who takes care of it: the team on site, or the investor who owns the machine if they are not the venue operator.
Who buys the machine, and who collects the sales
Two set-ups are common. Either the venue operator buys the robot and keeps the sales. Or an investor buys the machine, installs it at an operator's premises and pays them rent or a share of revenue. The second set-up requires a written agreement between the two, which also specifies who handles the daily upkeep.
In both cases, the purchase price, what it includes and a simulation of the profit according to the number of coffees sold are on the investment page. It is a projection, to be compared with the location's real footfall.
Where to start
The most useful thing is to start from the location: its footfall, its hours, the operator's agreement and the five points above. If you have a venue in mind, or are still looking for the right one, tell us about your project: we will look with you at whether the coffee robot has its place there.
