Your espresso machine
The most important piece of equipment in any coffeehouse is the espresso machine. Are you going to get an old school espresso press that you can make the perfect shot with? Or will you go for a second hand Starbucks espresso machine that gives you the convenience of pushing a button for your espresso shots?
People might like the ease and convenience of the push button shot, with every shot being exactly the same every time. Consistency is a good think for business, and your customers will know exactly what they’re getting every time.
But there is a case to be made for the hand press. If you are willing to put in the effort to train your employees on the hand press, you can have something to draw customers that no one else has. You’ll have a higher perceived value because you are not using a machine to make your espresso shots, your coffee has now become an art.
This will take more training for both you and your employees, but having a hand made espresso shot allows you to have higher prices for the quality you’re providing to your customers. Customers won’t mind paying extra, and you can keep your prices competitive.
You could always have both. It’s a higher investment up front, but then you can have two sets of prices, one for hand pressed drinks and one for machine shot drinks. This will show your customers that hand press shots are worth more, and increase the perceived quality of the hand pressed espresso beverage.