Self-serve beverage stations in Canada: stats, trends, and ROI
Gen Z favours self-serve: 73% avoid staff and 60% use kiosks. Canadian restaurants report 15–30% bigger checks, faster lines, and lower labour with self-serve beverage stations.
Self-serve beverage stations: how to drive sales while customers serve themselves
Canadian operators are using self-serve beverage stations to move faster, lift average checks, and reduce labour pressure. Younger diners are leading the shift. Recent data shows 73% of Gen Z prefer to order without talking to staff and 60% choose kiosks when available.
Interested in a Franke self-serve coffee station or Taylor frozen beverage stations? Contact our sales team for a free quote.
Why self-serve works for restaurants, c-stores, and offices in Canada
Higher average checks. Chains reporting on kiosk performance consistently see bigger baskets. Shake Shack called kiosks its largest and most profitable in-store channel, with checks up by a high-teens percentage versus counter. Industry studies also cite 15–30% lifts when flows are tuned for upsell.
Digital screens drive add-ons. In-store digital signage frequently lifts sales of featured items. Multiple round-ups report ~24–38% lifts for products highlighted on screens. Use this to push flavour shots, size upgrades, and limited-time drinks.
Personalization and loyalty increase spend. Personalized offers typically drive 10–15% revenue lift. Loyalty programmes add another 18–30% increase in member spend and visit frequency. Tie screen prompts and kiosk flows to your CRM.
Speed with fewer staff. Guests order at their pace, while your team focuses on production and hospitality. Studies of kiosk deployments highlight shorter lines, fewer order errors, and steady throughput during peaks.
What to include in a self-serve beverage station
1) A self-service commercial coffee machine that anyone can use
For offices, QSRs, and c-stores, Franke super-automatic coffee machines combine barista-level quality with true walk-up simplicity.
Franke A Series at TFI
Bean-to-cup quality, touchscreens for self-service, automatic cleaning, telemetry options, and configurations for milk and flavour modules. Great as an office coffee machine or in unattended self-serve zones. Explore Franke A Series at TFI.
Franke’s A400/A600 models are designed for self-service with interactive touch UIs and auto-clean cycles that keep lines moving.
Did you know that premium coffee programmes often earn 80%+ gross profit with 6–12 month payback when volumes are matched to machine capacity!
Want a guided walk-through? Book a live demo at our Mississauga showroom or our Dartmouth test kitchen, or contact sales.
2) A commercial slush machine for frozen beverages
Slush is a proven margin driver with high visual pull at the counter.
Well-run slush programmes routinely deliver 70–80% gross profit, with equipment paying back in 6-18 months in high-traffic sites.
TFI distributes Taylor® frozen beverage systems across Canada, including carbonated and uncarbonated models sized for c-stores and QSRs. See models in our product lineup.
3) Smart self-serve beverage station design
Screens that sell. Use short video loops to prompt flavour shots, larger cup sizes, alt-milk, and combo offers. Rotate daypart-specific prompts. Expect noticeable lifts on featured items when screens are present.
Loyalty at the glass. Let guests scan into the station so prompts reflect their favourites. Personalization at this point of decision is where much of the 10–15% lift happens. (McKinsey & Company)
Kiosk flow matters. Projected lifts of 15–30% depend on the details: default sizes, flavour placement, and the order of upsell steps. Test and iterate. (QSR Magazine)
How self-serve boosts the P&L
Reduce labour hours. Shifting routine drink prep to guests frees staff for line cooking and order assembly. Field research and case studies show fewer errors and quicker lines. (UNT Digital Library)
Grow attachment rate. Kiosks and screens prompt natural add-ons like espresso flavour shots, whipped topping, or slush float upgrades. Operators report mid-to-high teen average check lifts when upsells are embedded into flows. (Restaurant Dive)
Improve speed of service. A dedicated beverage zone removes a frequent bottleneck. Guests prepare drinks while orders fire to the kitchen.
TFI Canada’s self-serve portfolio
Franke® self-service commercial coffee machines for offices, QSR, and c-store formats. See Franke A Series.
Taylor® commercial slush machines including carbonated FCB and uncarbonated models, sized for convenience retail and high-volume restaurants.
Certified Used options to launch self-serve faster with warranty. Great for pilots or seasonal sites.
Need help modelling ROI for your location in Ontario or Atlantic Canada? Our team will validate traffic, mix, and pricing to estimate payback.
Financing, rentals, and service that make rollout easy
Lease-to-own with quick approvals and low monthly payments across Canada. Ideal when you want to conserve cash and own the asset at term end. Restaurant equipment leasing.
Short-term or long-term rentals from used and demo inventory. Month-to-month or 12–60 months. Perfect for pilots or seasonal peaks. Equipment rentals.
TFI Total Care monthly maintenance. Planned PM, priority dispatch, no overtime charges, and technician training to keep self-serve stations spotless and operational. TFI Total Care.
24/7 repair services with factory-trained techs and OEM parts. Commercial kitchen equipment repair.
Implementation checklist for a profitable self-serve zone
Pick the right hardware. Size your self-service commercial coffee machine for daily cup count and milk type. Pair with a commercial slush machine suited to your traffic and flavour plan.
Design for upsell. Place digital screens at eye level. Default to medium cups. Offer paid flavour shots and toppings. Back the strategy with loyalty data. (McKinsey & Company)
Train and maintain. Assign daily wipe-downs and weekly deep cleans. Use auto-clean cycles on Franke units and schedule PM through Total Care.
Market the experience. Promote new flavours in app and on-premise. Kiosks that highlight add-ons produce reliable check lifts. (QSR Magazine)
Ready to see it in action?
Book a demo in Mississauga or Dartmouth to test Franke self-serve coffee and Taylor frozen beverage stations, or contact our sales team for a free quote and financing options across Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, and Newfoundland.
P.S. If you want to start with a smaller capital outlay, ask about our certified used inventory!
Nicole Camposeo-Cheung is the Director of Marketing, People & Culture at TFI Food Equipment Solutions, Canada’s leading provider of premium commercial foodservice equipment. She combines her expertise in business management and fashion arts to foster a dynamic, innovative, and people-centric corporate culture. Passionate about empowering teams, building strong client relationships, and driving growth through creativity and collaboration, Nicole plays a key role in shaping TFI’s brand and workplace culture. She also shares her industry expertise and insights through the TFI blog, helping foodservice professionals stay informed about the latest trends, best practices, and innovations in commercial food equipment.
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