Commercial cold drink dispensers are designed to alleviate common pain points in cafes, restaurants, and hospitality settings by making beverage pouring and serving more efficient.
The best technologies and equipment can improve service speed, reduce waste, cut labour and training costs, and expand menu offerings – all of which will enhance food service operations and customer service.
Variety is a key purchasing factor for modern consumers, and businesses that can offer convenience, quality, and a broad list of beverage options are well-placed to succeed.
We spoke with Chris Marsitto, VP of beverage operations at CULT, to learn more about how commercial cold drink dispensers help companies diversify their menus and what this means for the industry.
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How do commercial cold drink dispensers work?
Commercial cold drink dispensers have been around for a while. Most people are familiar with the classic soda fountain found in fast food restaurants, where beverages are poured with a button or lever.
This type of equipment has a tremendous effect on service speed, allowing staff to quickly pour multiple different kinds of drinks from the same machine or even allowing customers to pour their own beverages.
The dispenser can also be placed on a separate counter to free up bench space, with supply lines running to a storage space either under the counter, in a refrigerator, or a back room.
This general setup and process remains the same for hospitality businesses – including coffee shops. Nonetheless, modern commercial cold drink dispensers have more sophisticated technology and app integration, better hygiene and safety standards, and improved consistency.
For example, Flo-Smart commercial cold drink dispensers feature a fully automated refrigerated line that allows for more consistent liquid delivery and temperature control. They also have two or four separate dispensing taps to mitigate cross-contamination. Finally, they enable the user to independently dispense liquids that should not be mixed (e.g. for allergy risk).
Moreover, older, more basic dispensing systems depend on manual input by pressing a lever or button, potentially leading to excess waste, challenges with stock controlling, or incorrect dosing.
Modern commercial cold drink dispensers allow staff to pre-set portioning amounts, ensuring consistent, precise dispensing – which ultimately saves the business time and money.
“I do feel that automatic milk dispensing has a place for operators,” Christopher says. “The consistency mitigates the inherent variables present when different employees are preparing drinks.”
Dairy is present in over 90% of coffee beverages sold globally, thanks to the popularity of drinks like lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos. So, for the coffee industry, the capacity for a commercial cold drink dispenser to precisely dose both dairy and alternative milks is a huge benefit. These are more challenging to dispense safely than soft drinks, given their cold storage requirements and potential spoilage.
“The younger, modern consumer wants choices and quality and is not afraid to pay for it. The automation of beverage items can help facilitate both in places that would otherwise be unable to offer a wide variety of options,” he adds.
What kind of beverages does a great drink dispenser help you serve?
As mentioned, the best commercial cold drink dispensers prepare multiple beverage types, helping you expand your menu offering and appeal to a broader customer base.
In a coffee shop setting, Flo-Smart can help baristas fulfil orders that require multiple different liquids – with either a two- or four-tap model.
Firstly, each tap can be assigned to a different beverage, connected via a refrigerated line to up to four different liquids – for example, oat and almond milk alongside both skimmed and whole dairy.
Beyond this, however, Flo-Smart can dispense any chilled, non-carbonated beverage with minimal pulp. This includes:
- Dairy
- Plant milks
- Cold brew/coffee concentrate
- Iced tea
- Wine
- Fruit juices
- Kombucha
- Flavourings/syrups
Furthermore, with the human-machine interface (HMI) on every dispenser, coffee shop staff can pre-set quantities desired for varying beverage types – for example, if the barista selects “latte”, the correct volume of plant or dairy milk is automatically poured. This eliminates waste and improves service.
With a solution like this, the seemingly endless number of possible beverage orders in modern hospitality businesses can be dispensed with ease – without cluttered benches or delays in service speed.
Flo-Smart commercial cold drink dispenser
Flo-Smart is the product of a four-year collaboration between two experienced beverage engineers. It aims to address some of the hospitality industry’s greatest dispensing challenges.
Our commercial cold drink dispenser drastically reduces both liquid and plastic waste, helping businesses meet their sustainability and corporate social responsibility goals while saving money by eliminating overpours.
Thanks to its compatibility with a range of different dairy and non-dairy liquids, our solution is perfect for businesses of all sizes looking to streamline workflow, declutter and organise their bench, and better meet consumer expectations with a wider range of drinks.
Interested in learning more? Visit our website or contact us directly to learn more about how Flo-Smart can transform your food service operation.
