Skip Online Retailers for Coffee Shop equipment

Buy Espresso Machines from Your Coffee Service Provider

Opening a new coffee shop or high-end restaurant? Want to make sure you have all the cafe equipment and supplies you need before opening day? Online retailers and large-scale restaurant stores offer wonderful options to ensure you check off everything on your list in one quick go. 

While all consumers know that huge online retailers can often provide the items we’re looking for fast and cheap; we also understand that this often leave the products leaving a lot to be desired. This is especially true for business owners investing in pieces of equipment that should stand the test of time and be there to see their company grow.

Owners and managers should avoid making one major purchase when it comes to big box retailers: commercial espresso machines and cafe equipment.

avoid online retailers for big items

Huge online retailers like WebstaurantStore, Amazon, and Restaurant Depot offer a wide range of items for restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and more, including full commercial kitchen fryers, walk-in coolers, complete restaurant booths, and outdoor signs. But while these one-stop shops may be great for smaller items, avoid buying your investment pieces from them when opening a cafe or coffee shop.

It’s best to work with a local company that offers regular service when it comes to cafe equipment or premium espresso machines! Check out some reasons below why shopping big-box retailers can hurt your business.

Reasons to not buy coffee equipment from online retailers

• • No Equipment Help: Is the espresso machine you ordered the right one for your cafe or restaurant? Will it handle your coffee shop’s volume or drink options? Does this machine fit in well with your store’s layout? What additional tools or accessories will you need to guarantee a successful installation or help this equipment thrive? When ordering from big online retailers, there is no direction or consultation given to ensure you’re ordering the right cafe equipment for your location.
  • Delivered, Now What?: Large online retailers will simply call a manufacturer to ship an espresso machine to you once you’ve placed your order. These machine orders will often then show up at your coffee shop door with no further instructions, spec sheets, or details leaving you to spend time on the phone to find this information for yourself. Sometimes, sites will showcase an offer of “Free Installation”, however, even this can be far from true…
  • Misleading Installation Offers: As mentioned above, some big-box companies will note “Free Delivery” on their espresso machine ads. These installation offers are often not fully true. Companies will cover a certain low amount of money for installation, which then  leaves the owner to cover the rest. Typically, hundreds of dollars will be left to the owners to pay for installation. Additionally, the amounts offered to these contracted installers is low, so the quality and attention to detail isn’t there as they don’t make a lot on these offers.
  • Big Shipping Fees: While initial costs may look low on big-box retailers like WebstaurantStore, added fees often stack up on orders and the shipping prices are incredibly inflated. It’s incredibly common to see a shipping cost upwards of $500+ on equipment orders without movement or flexibility from the company.
  • Changing Lead Times: Lead times on espresso machines from online retailers are unclear and often inconsistent with what was stated at the time of order. Delivery dates vary widely from the time you’re researching, to the day the order is placed, to the actual estimated time provided by the shipping company. Cafe equipment needed and planned for opening day could be easily missed when shopping online.
  • Full Order Not Guaranteed: After an equipment order is placed, it’s unclear if you’ll be getting a full order when it’s delivered. Missing items and back-ordered parts will be a mystery until the packing slip inside the boxes is checked.
  • Warranty Issues: Have a part break a few months into use? Warranty issues are your own issue to deal with when ordering from big online retailers. Even if your espresso machine or grinder is under warranty for years to come, you’ll have to track down the manufacturer number yourself to handle the replacement.
  • Unclear on Refunds: Refunds can be a complete run-around when it comes to ordering espresso machines from a big-box retailer like Webstaurant Store or Restaurant Depot. Have an item or machine piece broken upon delivery? Expensive espresso machine have a scratch from transit? It’s up to the retailer to decide how and how quickly they want to handle these issues.
  • Big Restocking Fees: Large online retailers typically charge a hefty charge for restocking returned items that come directly from the buyers’ pocket. Additionally, freight fees for returned items are tacked onto these charges.
  • Part Availability: As a business owner, we understand how important it is to keep your budget and bottom line in check. While shopping for lower-quality brand espresso machines will save money up-front, finding parts for these brands is nearly impossible. Once an issue does arise, working with the retailers to source these parts is incredibly difficult as they don’t service these machines, just sell them.
  • Finding Tech Experts: When not buying your espresso machine from your coffee service provider, finding someone to service these machines can be difficult. For premium brands, service can be swifter, but diagnostic calls will often end up adding an additional fee to a standard service as techs can be unsure of the last time the machine was worked on. For lower-end brands, there largely aren’t any training programs created for the machines, making servicing them a bit of guesswork in the beginning.
  • Eventually, the money saved buying initially will be lost when problems arise.

As one of the top espresso machine retailers and coffee service providers in the Midwest, Impossible Coffee ensures everything goes smoothly! From talking through cafe equipment set-ups to espresso machine installation and beyond, Impossible Coffee will help set your coffee shop up for success!

• Price Match: Impossible Coffee will price-match espresso equipment and coffee machines from other providers to the best of its ability. Show us an official site link with the price listed or an offer from another retailer, and we’ll work to match their price while providing our other huge benefits.
• Free Installation: Espresso machine orders with Impossible Coffee offer free installation and a 30-day worry-free warranty! Your espresso machine won’t simply show up at your front door, it will be hand-delivered by an Impossible Coffee employee on the day you scheduled your espresso machine installation. Impossible Coffee even works with your cafe’s contractors, electricians, and plumbers to ensure all the right components are in place for a smooth install.
• Free Shipping: Large coffee shop equipment and espresso machine orders with Impossible Coffee offer free shipping to keep your costs low. Impossible Coffee is a certified dealer of Slayer, La Marzocco, Nuova Simonelli, Fetco, Mahlkonig, modbar, and more to get pieces ordered quickly and low cost. 
• We Keep It Safe: Don’t love the idea of an expensive espresso equipment order getting delivered to a closed coffee shop? Wonder where a 500-pound espresso machine gets set down? All orders, including large, expensive espresso machines are safely delivered to Impossible Coffee’s office.
• Immediate Inspection: All coffee shop equipment inspected upon delivery by Impossible Coffee to ensure no scratches or dents during shipping. If something got damaged during transit, Impossible Coffee will talk one-on-one with the delivery driver and manufacturer to solve the issue. 
• Replacement Parts: Is a small piece missing or broken when being installed? Impossible Coffee will personally reach out to manufacturers to receive replacement parts as soon as possible. Additionally, Impossible Coffee will check inventory and see if a fitting piece is available for an immediate solution.
• Warranty Check: Did something break a year or two down the road? As your coffee service provider, Impossible Coffee will verify the warranty on your equipment, follow up with the manufacturer, and repair any issues from there. 
• 6-Month Tune-Ups: As an Impossible Coffee customer, once your cafe equipment is installed and running smoothly, we’ll come back for a tune-up and preventative maintenance every 6 months to keep your coffee shop going strong. 
• Premium Partnerships: Impossible Coffee partners with the best espresso manufacturer brands such as Slayer, La Marzocco, Nuova Simonelli, modbar, and more. With certified knowledge of these machines, their longevity and quality of espresso are sure to outlast other brands
• Small Business: When shopping from Impossible Coffee, your company will be supporting a small business, rather than giving money to a big middle-man company. Additionally, as a small business, you’ll have our full attention as a customer. 

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