Coffee station or café: which pays off better?

Your own café is many founders’ dream – and a big risk. We compare investment, running costs and effort with an autonomous coffee station.

Anyone who wants to earn money with coffee first thinks of their own café. A cosy atmosphere, regulars, the smell of fresh coffee – it sounds tempting. In practice, though, a café means high investment, plenty of staff and long working days. An autonomous coffee station addresses exactly these points.

Investment

A café needs premises, refurbishment, furniture, equipment and usually a large deposit. A Cup'D station starts at €5,900, and can be paid in instalments with a small down payment.

Staff

A café is unthinkable without a barista – salaries, holiday cover and sick days included. The station works without staff. Servicing takes about 3 hours a week.

Space and rent

A café needs dozens of square metres in a good location. The station needs about 1 m² and can stand where people already are: in a business centre, shopping mall, university or gym.

Opening hours

A café has fixed opening hours that depend on staff. The station sells for as long as the location is open.

Launch and payback

It often takes months before a café opens. A Cup'D station is ready in 21 days, and average payback is 6–8 months.

And the experience?

A café remains a place to linger, and a station cannot replace that. But for a quick, good coffee on the go – before a meeting, after training, between lectures – it is the more convenient and cheaper solution. That is why more and more locations are turning to self-service.