Commercial cold drink dispensers offer hospitality businesses flexibility and greater service speed by automating the labour-intensive process of preparing, measuring and pouring beverages.
The time restaurant staff allocates to dispensing beverages manually may seem insignificant on a case-by-case basis. Still, throughout the day or service period, this time adds up, especially in settings like bars and coffee shops, where beverage preparation is more involved.
Service bottlenecks restrict revenue potential and encourage inconsistency and quality issues. A typical response from hospitality businesses to this problem is to limit the breadth and depth of their menu offerings.
But modern consumers – especially younger ones – deeply value variety.
By installing an automated beverage dispenser, food service companies can serve more beverage types in a faster, more reliable manner while simultaneously freeing up staff and reducing their overheads.
To learn more, we spoke with Chad Burton, head of sales at Cosmic Garden Coffee in Dubai, UAE.
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What do commercial cold drink dispensers do, and why are they valuable to hospitality businesses?
Commercial cold drink dispensers, or automatic beverage dispensers, automate the measuring and dispensing of service-critical liquids.
Technology and formats vary, from classic fast-food self-service fountain soda machines to more sophisticated, high-tech dispensers like Flo-Smart.
In the case of a fountain soda machine, customers receive an empty cup and serve themselves, removing the process from behind-the-counter operations. This frees up staff to focus on other business-critical functions or allows the manager or owner to cut overall labour requirements.
In high foot-traffic settings, every second saved is valuable – the quicker your service speed, the more customers you serve; the more customers you serve, the higher your revenue.
“In terms of consistency and workflow speed, automated milk dispensers are a must-have for bustling cafes, espresso bars and roasteries,” says Chad.
On the other hand, the Flo-Smart automated beverage dispenser is designed to improve behind-counter service performance by making drink dispensing faster and more efficient for the staff utilising it.
Flo-Smart, in either a 2-tap or 4-tap set-up, dispenses any type of cold, non-carbonated and pulp-free beverage in precise, measured doses via a fully automated refrigerated line system on the market.
For example, in a cafe setting, a 4-tap Flo-Smart can be configured to dispense whole milk from one tap and oat milk, almond milk, and orange juice from the other three, piped directly from large refrigerated bladders under the counter.
The benefits of a Flo-Smart set-up or similar commercial cold drink dispenser are threefold:
- Serving staff have the correct beverages available to them at the touch of a button, which de-clutters countertops and workbenches, reduces cross-contamination potential, and improves hygiene and food safety standards.
- Beverage measuring and dosing are automatic and consistent for every pour, saving the waste incurred by staff ‘eyeballing’ measurements and spilling.
- Service speed is greatly improved, workflows are streamlined, and labour requirements are reduced.
“Automation definitely improves business performance,” says Chad.
“This particular tool, if you can afford it, is a game-changer for coffee bars. In terms of business and product consistency, it’s really a no-brainer.”
Why is menu variety significant, and how can automatic drink dispensers help?
Gen Z, Gen X, and millennials represent 67% of the global population today and together account for 50% of global spending. By 2034, Gen Z is expected to lead global purchasing power, adding over $9 trillion.
Catering to these younger generations is vital to long-term success for hospitality businesses, and variety and innovation are excellent ways to future-proof your business.
A 2023 study from consultancy firm Menu Matters found that 53% of Gen Z consumers are ordering from quick-serve and fast-casual restaurants more often than the year before, with 24% reporting they were doing so much more often.
Moreover, 40% of respondents indicated that the variety of items on the menu was a key driver for their restaurant selection – third only behind quality and consistency.
For the hospitality industry, more visitors and higher demand for menu variety mean workflow, service speed, and diversification are crucial – automation can help.
Consider a cafe or coffee shop where modern consumers commonly request one of a wide array of dairy or non-dairy milk alternatives for their coffee beverages.
A group order may feature multiple different beverage types, from oat cappuccinos to dairy-based cortados to iced coconut lattes. For each drink, the barista must retrieve, accurately measure, pour, and replace the relevant milk, a process that must be repeated consistently throughout a service period – challenging.
This manual approach forces businesses to limit their menu based on storage capacity, labour capabilities, or food safety controls, ultimately disappointing customers.
With a commercial cold drink dispenser, especially one with multiple taps, a coffee shop can confidently offer a broader menu, knowing that storage is optimised, recipes are consistent, and their workflows are efficient.
“I have never used one, but I have been served milk-based coffees by an operator using these systems in Dubai, and I was more than impressed,” says Chad.
The same benefits apply in a bar or restaurant. With Flo-Smart, a business can choose to dispense juice or different types of wines automatically, reducing waste, speeding up service, and allowing more time for bespoke or more involved orders.
As younger generations make more complex and more varied beverage orders, automated beverage dispensers help businesses stay ahead.
Choose Flo-Smart to help you transform your menu
Flo-Smart is the product of two award-winning Australian engineering firms teaming up to solve a common challenge in the hospitality segment – how to increase service speed while simultaneously reducing cost and waste.
Our commercial cold drink dispenser is designed for use in any food service setting, from independent cafes to multi-outlet hotel chains. It is ready to dispense any high-volume, non-carbonated, and pulp-free beverage.
With Flo-Smart, broadening and diversifying your menu offering is a seamless process – you can serve more drinks to more people more quickly.
To start your Flo-Smart chapter, visit our website or get in touch with us directly.
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Commercial cold drink dispenser
