Beyond staff satisfaction, there's a clear economic argument for investing in office coffee machines rather than relying on nearby cafes. For most offices with five or more staff, the running cost of a machine is recovered within months, not years, once cafe spending and lost time are factored in.
- Reduced time away from desks: a round trip to a cafe typically costs 15 to 20 minutes per person, per visit. Multiply that by several staff, several times a day, and the lost productivity adds up quickly over a working year.
- Lower per-cup cost: a cafe coffee in Adelaide generally costs between $4.50 and $5.50. Brewing in-house, even with quality beans and consumables, typically works out to a fraction of that per cup once volume increases.
- Fewer disruptions to workflow: meetings and focused work aren't interrupted by coffee runs, which is particularly valuable for teams working to deadlines.
- A cost-effective staff benefit: compared to other perks, an in-office coffee setup delivers a high perceived value relative to its ongoing cost, making it one of the more efficient ways to invest in staff wellbeing.