Choosing cups per day for office coffee machine

[bims]

Hi everyone, I’m trying to pick the right office coffee machine and I’m stuck on the “cups per day” part. We’re not a huge team, but the kitchen gets busy in the morning and after lunch, so I don’t want a machine that feels overwhelmed. The tricky thing is that I honestly can’t predict how many coffees people will drink once the machine is there. Some colleagues only have one a day, others seem to live on cappuccinos, and a few don’t drink coffee at all. I also keep hearing that choosing a smaller machine to save money can backfire if it’s used too hard. On top of that, I’m wondering how much refilling and emptying we’d be dealing with, like the hopper, canisters, and that waste bin for used grounds. If anyone has a practical way to estimate demand without overthinking it, I’d love to hear it.

 

[carloss]

Honestly, what helped me was using a simple rule of thumb instead of trying to guess everyone’s habits in detail. The guide from Connect Vending breaks it down in a way that’s easy to apply to a normal workplace. They assume that roughly a third of people drink about three cups a day, another third have one, and the last third don’t drink coffee at all, which averages out neatly. That method makes it easier to match a machine to the recommended daily output without getting lost in spreadsheets. It also ties the “cups per day” idea to practical things like hopper or canister refills, the cake bin for used grounds, and how often the machine might need attention. I’d also pay attention to the warning that under-sizing can wear a machine out faster when it’s pushed beyond what it’s built for. If you want the full explanation in one place, check this guide because it lays out the assumptions and why they use them.

 

[nickelsonn]

Interesting topic, because “cups per day” sounds simple until you try to map it onto real office behaviour. People tend to drink in waves, especially at the start of the day, and that can make a machine feel busier than the headcount suggests. It’s also easy to forget that capacity isn’t just about coffee output, but about how often you’re refilling ingredients and dealing with waste. The details like hopper size, canisters, and the used-grounds container matter more when a machine is used consistently. I like the idea of using a straightforward assumption rather than trying to predict every person’s routine. In the end, the best choice seems to be the one that fits the current team while leaving some breathing room for growth. Getting the basics right upfront usually saves a lot of headaches later.