FSR May 2023

SPONSORED BY SEB PROFESSIONAL

How Automation in the Coffee Space is Improving Both Operations and the Customer Experience With the simple push of a button, operators can provide consistent, delicious coffee.

When the pandemic hit, beverage sales plum meted. With restaurants relying on o -premises sales, not all consumers were adding beverages to their orders the way they had done pre-pan demic. With more diners returning to restaurants in 2021 and 2022, beverage sales have returned for the most part—especially when restaurants o er something that isn’t easily made at home. Still, operators face a considerable number of challenges in today’s environment, such as infla tion and continued labor concerns. As consumers are increasingly turning to foodservice for spe cialty beverages, operators have bolstered their operations. By introducing automation into their co ee programs, restaurants are o ering consum ers consistent, top-quality co ee that would be challenging to make at home—all while improv ing speed of service and cleanliness. Improving Operations: Speed of Service and Cleanliness Speed of service has always been important to consumers, but during the past few years the stakes have risen—especially as operators see sustained tra€c at the drive-thru window. Ac cording to the 2022 Drive ƒru Report by Intouch Insight, “Technology and innovation have turned [quick-service] drive thrus into something hardly recognizable, and it has become the industry’s most innovative arena… Customers continue to prefer drive thrus when interacting with brands.” ƒe new Curtis Genesis Skyline was designed

the freshest co ee at top speeds. Not only can restaurants improve speed of service, but they also no longer have to worry about whether staff has cleaned the machine, thanks to fully automated cleaning daily via calendar programming. Improving Customer Experience: Consistency and Top-quality With growing competition when it comes to co ee, inconsistency from day-to-day can cause consumers to look around and grab their co ee elsewhere. One problem opera tors face is drinks are made di erently from barista-to-barista, or sta forgets to make a new batch of co ee and ends up serving cus tomers out of a stale batch. When operators introduce automation, consistency is guaranteed whether equip ment is set to sta -operated or self-serve con figuration. Consumers appreciate knowing exactly what they will receive day-to-day: a top-quality co ee, ground fresh from whole beans. This type of quality and precision builds customer loyalty. A Partner for Coffee Programs While introducing automated co ee equip ment will certainly improve a co ee program, it takes more than equipment to take co ee programs to the next level—it requires the right partner.

SEB Professional is three brands in one company—WMF, Schae rer, and Curtis. ƒis allows SEB Professional to be a partner who has the resources and knowledge an operator needs to create a custom, on-demand co ee experience for their customers—no ma›er the size of an operation. ◗

with operational e€ciency in mind—especially applicable in the drive thru. ƒis new machine brews fresh co ee from whole beans and is the first of its kind. ƒe Curtis Genesis Skyline has the ability to automate co ee output based on demand. Maximum speed can serve customers quickly and e€ciently—allowing operators to serve

Learn more at wilburcurtis.com .

SEB PROFESSIONAL

MAY 2023 | BEVERAGE SOLUTIONS & EQUIPMENT MAY 2023 BEVERAGE SOLUTIONS & EQUIPMENT

78

FSRMAGAZINE.COM

102