Brewing Profit: Why Facilities Reliability Determines Coffee and Foodservice Success
Coffee is no longer a side item in convenience stores. It is a primary revenue driver. In fact, coffee and breakfast sandwiches now account for 40% of prepared food sales in the c-store sector. Foodservice overall has grown into a $43 billion category, making up 28.7% of in-store sales and nearly 40% of gross margins. That means every facilities director has become, in effect, a steward of their company’s most profitable program.
The challenge is reliability. A single coffee machine outage during the morning rush can cost hundreds of dollars in lost sales, not to mention the impact on customer loyalty. Nearly half of all c-store trips include a beverage purchase, and beverages carry a 40%+ net margin. When equipment is down, that loyalty driver is gone.
The hidden risk is that many operators underestimate how much maintenance discipline these programs require. Bean-to-cup systems, for example, offer higher perceived quality, reduced waste, and increased efficiency, but they are also more complex. Without preventive maintenance, operators face increased downtime, higher repair costs, and frustrated customers. Data shows:
The “why” for facilities leaders is clear: coffee and foodservice reliability is not about selling more sandwiches. It is about protecting the store’s most profitable margin stream. Facilities management is the backbone of that strategy.
This is where scale matters. Vixxo is the number one coffee service partner in the U.S., managing 20,000+ coffee machines and 3,000+ bean-to-cup systems. That reach, combined with disciplined PM programs and project execution, helps ensure these revenue engines stay online. For facilities directors, the message is simple: uptime drives profit, and uptime depends on disciplined facilities programs.
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