Buy, rent, or pay per cup for your coffee machine : which option works best for your workplace?

Coffee breaks are an important part of the day at the office. With that in mind, implementing a solution that will allow your teams to gather around the office coffee machine is essential. However, you might be unsure about which option to choose: buying, renting or paying per cup. The difference between the three is not always clear. 

👉Owner, renter or holder of a professional coffee machine : what are the advantages and inconveniences of each? 

The choice that best works for you depends on a number of factors such as:

• What are your needs in terms of service levels (consumables, maintenance, replacement of accessories)?
• How long do you need your coffee machine for: short, medium, and long term?
• What is your budget?
• Do you want to manage your commercial coffee machine on your own?
  
  ➝To help you make your decision, we’ve put together a comparison of the different options: buying, renting, or paying per cup for your coffee machine.
  
  

Buying a coffee machine: you are the owner

Own your company’s coffee machine: what factors should you consider when choosing a plan?

The advantages of buying a coffee machine

The biggest advantage: you are the owner !

In the long run, buying your coffee machine is the most economical. The initial investment pays off itself (especially, if you charge for the coffee.)

As the owner of your coffee machine, you don’t sign a contract with a service provider. Without a contract, there’s no commitment. You remain free to choose your coffee and other supplies (sugar, cups, etc.): you can source them wherever you want. In fact, for excellent coffee at the office, we recommend choosing locally and artisanale roasted coffee beans: Our coffee beans

You have complete control over managing your commercial coffee machine: upkeep and maintenance are entirely up to you. Here’s a tip: why not get your team involved in maintaining the machine—perhaps in exchange for free coffee?

Don’t worry, if your team isn’t exactly eager to take care of the machine, and neither are you (maintenance is a lot of work!): Pleyce offers an on-demand maintenance contract for your coffee machine at the time of purchase. We won’t leave you stranded, that’s just not our style!

✅ Recap of advantages : 

• Owning the coffee machine
• The most cost-effective option in the long run
• No contract: no commitment to the service provider
• Using the coffee you want to use

The inconveniences of buying a coffee machine

Purchasing a commercial coffee machine has its pros and cons. First, while it is the most cost-effective option in the long run, it requires the necessary cash on hand to purchase the machine or coffee dispenser. Some bean-to-cup coffee machines come with a high purchase price.

Buying your own coffee machine requires understanding your needs, specifically in terms of volume to choose the most suitable machine. Your choice should factor in your future growth plans: an upcoming move, an expansion of your spaces, or changes in your payroll. A coffee machine model can quickly become outdated if your coffee needs change and/or if the initial estimate was inaccurate. In that case, your only option will be to replace it at your own expense.

We highlighted the advantage of having full control over how you manage your machine and choose your coffee. These advantages can turn into disadvantage if you don’t want to handle it yourself (then you’ll need to sign up for a maintenance contract, which incurs additional costs.) Furthermore, the maintenance contract offered when purchasing a coffee machine does not cover the cost of replacement parts. Therefore, if a part of the machine breaks after the initial warranty period, its replacement is not included in this type of contract.

❌ Recap of inconveniences :

• High initial investment
• Risk of obsolescence if your needs change
• Maintenance contract (if you choose to opt-in) which does not include the replacement of defective parts
• You are responsible for managing the end-of-life disposal of the equipment.

Renting a coffee machine: customizable and adaptable

Renting a commercial coffee machine: What factors should you consider when choosing a plan?

The advantages of renting a coffee machine

While purchasing may be the most cost-effective option in the long run, renting a commercial coffee machine is cheaper in the short term. There is no uncertainty regarding depreciation, since renting does not constitute an investment. You also do not need to have significant cash on hand to commit to it immediately. It is also possible to install a coin mechanism to make the coffee fully or partially paid for, helping in financing the rental of the machine.

Renting a commercial coffee machine is a customized solution that can be scaled to meet your needs. Is your business growing, are you hiring new staff, and do you need to upgrade to a larger machine or even a vending machine? No problem, you can change the coffee machine in your rental contract at any time. You won’t be stuck with an outdated coffee machine. Enjoy state-of-the-art machines that are always tailored to your needs and tastes!

The rental includes machine maintenance, so you don’t have to worry about any maintenance, servicing, or logistics. When you rent a commercial coffee machine, all you have to do is enjoy your cup of coffee. Your service provider takes care of everything else.

Your service provider is responsible for disposing of the coffee machine at the end of its life, since the equipment is leased for a fixed period.

The best part? Some providers, like Pleyce, let you test out several models of professional coffee machines available for rent. This allows you to choose the best one!

✅ Recap of advantages: 

• A customized solution that adapts to your needs,
• State-of-the-art coffee machine
• A more cost-effective option
• In the short term: a more cost-effective option than purchasing
• No hassle with coffee machine maintenance, consumables management, or coffee procurement
• End-of-life management of the coffee machine is the provider’s responsibility.

The inconveniences of renting a commercial coffee machine

In the long run, renting a commercial coffee machine is less cost-effective than buying one.

Youu shouldn’t be afraid of commitment, because “rental” means “contract”! In fact, you’re committing to a long-term arrangement with a coffee machine provider. To minimize the implications of this commitment, at Pleyce, we determine the contract duration with you, rather than relying on standard offers. The flexibility of our offers ensures that you retain control over your decisions.

❌Recap of inconveniences

• Contract-based (term to be determined),
• In the long run, less cost-effective than buying your own.

💡 To learn more about renting a commercial coffee machine, consult our practical guide : How does renting a coffee machine for your company work?

Paying per cup : deposit system

The benefits of paying for just what you consume: what factors should you consider when choosing this option?

The advantages of paying per cup

A system in which you pay-per-cup means that your service provider provides a coffee machine or coffee dispenser to your business at no cost, and in return you pay only for the coffee you consume: there’s no need to invest in purchasing a coffee machine or pay a monthly rental fee.

Even without renting the machine or signing a maintenance contract upon purchase, you still benefit from all services related to machine management. The service provider handles delivery, installation, and setup, as well as the supply of coffee and other consumables (filters, cups, sugar, etc.), along with routine maintenance and repairs.

This way you have a coffee machine to keep your employees happy at no cost and with no management hassle.

✅Recap of advantages : 

• Free commercial coffee machine to use, no purchase investment needed
• Pay for only the coffee you consumer
• No maintenance requirements as the service provider is responsible for maintenance and supply as well as managing the end-of-life process for the coffee machine.

The inconveniences of paying per cup

A free coffee machine that gives you access to all management services? Yes! But this option does come with a few drawbacks.

The machine is provided free of charge, but in return, the service provider sets the prices and keeps the profits. Whereas, when renting or purchasing a machine, a company that charges consumers for coffee can collect those payments, this is not the case with this system. All payments are collected in full by the service provider in exchange for providing the machine.

The free installation option is only worthwhile for service providers if the company has a certain number of employees, in order to ensure a sufficient level of sales. Below a certain break-even point, it doesn’t make much sense to choose this option. Installing a free coffee machine is best suited for companies with more than 40 employees.

When renting a coffee machine or vending machine, since the prices are set by the provider, you have no room to negotiate, and these rates are generally quite high. Finally, pay-as-you-go pricing can put a strain on your finances if prices rise.

❌ Recap of inconveniences

• A higher price than with the rental plan
• Price-per-cup of coffee is set by the provider,
• All profits from coffee sales go entirely to the provider
• A minimum purchase requirement imposed by the provider (for profitability reasons)
• Limited choice of machines, especially for low-volume users

Comparing buying, renting or paying per cup for your coffee machine: summary table

💡 For more information on the cost of a coffee machine for your business, check out our practical guide: How much does a coffee machine for your business cost?

We hope that our comparison of the various options for purchasing, renting, or paying per cup for your commercial coffee machines has helped you make an informed decision.

Our team of experts is here to assist you. We’ll work with you to assess your needs and help you choose the option that best suits your business.
Contact us for more information