commercial machines-automatic vs Semi auto

[ndtedebear]

working on starting drive thru coffee bar. Any info on equipment or advice would be appreciated

 

[barefoot]

get a Lamarzocco espresso machine. They are rock solid and amazing profit makers of consistent drinks.

use Fetco extractor brewers for drip or french press.

spend MOST of your money on the coffee equipment and the outside look of your place. Then buy used or refurb on everything else since tose are only cost centers where the coffee equip is a profit center.

find a great artisan roaster who can help you with great coffee and great business advice.

 

[cafemakers]

Agreed - you will find that most reputable equipment companies and consultants will recommend these brands listed above, if at all within your starting budget. Although requiring a greater investment up-front, you will gain better performance and reliability over the life of your business.

 

[NW JAVA]

wELL EVERyONE HAS THIER OPINIONS: ecm IS oops.... My Choice, Also I'm a distributor for Burgess, and offer a great price.

 

[alexbailey]

Drive Thru

I prefer Fetco for drip and the Superautomatic Sharer equipment. We also manufacure drive thru buildings. www.java-grande.com

 

[angelo211]

I like what everyone had to say here. I do asset management(companys go out of business I sell the equipment) and have aquired an inventory of Fetco and American MetalWare brewers, LaMarzocco espresso machines and Mazzer grinders. I have the lowest prices you will find for this equipment and offer a warranty. If you're interested contact me and I can send you pics specs and pricing. 585-292-7262 Angelo
adiciaccio@theadvantagegroup.com

 

[cafemakers]

Ah yes, this is the company that picked up the 1,000+ heavily used La Marzocco machines retired from Starbucks. La Marzocco and ESI issued a memo warning customers to avoid them just a few weeks ago.

The memo indicated that ESI had a first right of refusal to purchase the used lot over a year ago, but decided against it "...because we did not believe that the machines could provide appropriate value to our customers based on the cost it would take ($2,000 to $3,000 each) to repair them properly." One case is known to exceed more than $5,000 already.

Also from the memo:

"Scale build-up is an issue with [these] machines, exacerbated by the time many of them spent in storage." "...ESI and La Marzocco saw considerable evidence that [the] machines' steam and bew tanks would require descaling."

Initial repairs and service reliability aside, potential buyers should remember that these are among the most heavily used espresso machines on the planet. Even if they were maintained perfectly over their 5 or 10 years of use, they cannot be expected to last nearly as long as a new machine. I would guess that they were long depreciated before being liquidated.

If anyone out there is looking to save a few dollars up-front, I suggest that this is best done with other equipment than that which is the primary money-making lifeline of your business.

 

[angelo211]

Thank you. I appreciate your opinion! Sounds like sour grapes to me!
FYI-We have sold more LaMarzocco in the past two months than ESI and LaMarzocco have sold this year. Futher more 90 percent of our business is repeat business. It is unfortunate that companies resort to these type of tactics. Also, we warranty all of our equipment so if a customer had a $5000 repair bill we would have covered it and there are no records of any such situation.
Futher more the equipment is being repurchased, by our client. I would assume that they would not repurchase faulty equipment.

 

[cafemakers]

What kind of Warranty do you offer on the machines and who provides the service?

 

[angelo211]

After the equipment is remaned by qualified technicians, we offer the industry standard 90 day parts warranty.
Angelo DiCiaccio 585-292-7262
Check out our website at: www.theadvantagegroup.com

 

[cafemakers]

If you are so confident about the stability of these machines, why not offer the same 1 year parts and labor warranty offered on new ones? Perhaps Starbucks would step up and offer some kind of Warranty?

It may be all well and good for you to make a quick profit, but what happens to your customers in a year (or, for example on day 91) when the machine is a 300 lb paperweight? It seems like your company is simply profiting on the unsuspecting by leveraging the otherwise good La Marzocco name from old machines that should have been retired to the scrap yard.

La Marzocco should have bought the whole lot and buried them at sea to save the damage that will be done to their brand name.