Where to place the machine: the best locations for footfall and drinks

In the self-service machine business, location makes a bigger difference than any other factor — bigger than the device model, the price or even the drink prices. The same machine in a high-footfall spot can sell many times more than in a random one. So the decision “where to place it” is really the decision “how much I’ll earn”.

In this guide we go through the best types of location and — just as importantly — show what audience and what drinks dominate in each. This is crucial, because matching the menu to the place translates directly into sales. A machine that offers protein shakes at a gym, and milkshake and matcha at a school, earns more than the same equipment limited to coffee alone.

Why location decides everything

A machine sells drinks to the people who walk past. It doesn’t generate its own footfall — it uses the footfall that’s already there. That means your job isn’t to “attract customers” but to place yourself where they already are and offer them what they’re looking for right then. A good location with the right menu practically sells itself; a bad location can’t be fixed even with the best device.

Two parameters matter most: the volume of foot traffic and the fit of the audience to the menu. A place with thousands of passes a day but a poor offer will waste its potential. A place perfectly matched to the offer but without people won’t sell. The best locations combine both.

Office buildings and business centres

A classic and one of the safe choices to start. Workers drink coffee in the morning and the afternoon, and their footfall is predictable and repeatable on working days. Increasingly, they also reach for matcha as a “lighter” alternative in the second half of the day. Here espresso, americano, flat white and latte reign, and premium items push up the average receipt. Steady, forecastable demand makes an office building an excellent spot for a first machine.

Gyms and fitness clubs

This is the location where FASTKAVA’s advantage over an ordinary coffee machine shows best. Gym regulars are a ready audience for protein shakes and matcha — a recovery drink after a workout, available on the spot, without leaving the venue and with no queue, is real convenience. Round-the-clock clubs additionally make use of the machine’s 24/7 operation, including at unusual hours. Here it’s precisely protein drinks, not coffee, that can be the star of the menu.

Universities and higher/post-secondary colleges

Students and young people drive the trend for matcha, milkshake and flavoured drinks — this is a generation that treats a drink as part of their lifestyle and gladly shares it on social media. In such a location, a broad, “Instagrammable” menu sells better than coffee alone. Footfall is high, though seasonal (the academic year, class days), with peaks between lectures and lessons.

Clinics, hospitals and government offices

Places with long waiting times generate steady demand for drinks throughout the day. Visitors reach for the full cross-section of the offer — from coffee, through hot chocolate, to lemonades — depending on the time and the weather. These are locations less seasonal than universities and less hour-concentrated than offices, but providing even footfall.

Stations, terminals and airports

Very high, round-the-clock footfall and customers “on the go” who value speed above all. A 24/7 machine makes use of every hour here, night included. Both hot and cold drinks sell, and the milkshake reaches travelling families with children. These are among the most profitable, though also the most competitive, locations.

Shopping malls and entertainment zones

Families with children are natural consumers of milkshakes and hot chocolate, and younger customers of matcha and lemonades. Weekend footfall peaks can significantly boost sales, and the “takeaway while shopping” atmosphere favours impulse drink purchases. This is a location where the sweeter, “treat” items on the menu come to the fore.

Hotels and tourist facilities

Guests expect access to drinks at various times — including in the evening and early morning, when coffee from reception isn’t enough. A broad menu and round-the-clock operation complement each other beautifully here, and the variety of drinks (from coffee to matcha and lemonades) suits a diverse set of guests. The machine is also sometimes a supplement to the offer where running a full café doesn’t pay.

Production plants and logistics centres

Shift work means demand for drinks at unusual hours — at night too, when no outlet is open. A self-service machine serves the workers without the need to run a canteen, and protein shakes are sometimes an added draw among people watching their fitness. This is steady, self-contained employee footfall that generates regular sales.

Petrol stations and car washes

Customers “on the go” who are waiting anyway — for refuelling, a car wash, small purchases — and gladly buy a drink along the way. Coffee, cold drinks and milkshake for the kids in the back seat sell well. These are impulse locations where machine visibility and speed of service matter.

Seasonal and occasional locations

Beyond permanent points, it’s worth considering locations that operate at certain times of year or on the occasion of events — they can deliver above-average sales in a short time:

• Pools, aquaparks and sports facilities — high footfall of families and active people; cold drinks, lemonades, milkshake and post-workout protein shakes sell excellently.
• Parks, promenades and recreation zones — the spring–summer season, demand dominated by lemonades, iced matcha and takeaway coffee.
• Events, fairs, open-air happenings — short but very intense sales peaks; here speed and a broad offer matter, because the audience is varied.

Such locations run on a different logic than year-round points: sales are concentrated in time, and the menu is worth shifting strongly towards cold and “treat” drinks. For many operators this is a supplement to a permanent network, not its basis.

How to assess a place’s potential

Before you sign a contract, assess the location against a few simple but concrete criteria:

• Foot traffic — how many people actually pass by during the day and at what times. Count or estimate it on the spot, don’t guess.
• Audience profile — does it fit the menu: gym → protein and matcha, school → milkshake and matcha, office → coffee with a matcha accent.
• Competition — is there a café or another machine nearby and how can you stand out (most often with a broader menu).
• Peak hours and 24/7 availability — does the place also operate in the evening or at night, which extends the sales window.
• Visibility of the point — will the machine be on the route of the natural flow of people, or tucked away where no one passes.
• Contract terms — the rent or commission relative to expected sales.

The contract and the settlement model with the building

With the owner or manager of the building you sign a contract to place the machine. The most common models are a fixed rent for the space (you pay a set amount per month regardless of sales) or a commission model (you share part of the turnover). The first is more favourable at high sales, the second is safer to start and in places with uncertain footfall. When negotiating, it’s worth relating the cost to a realistic sales forecast — a good location with higher rent is often more profitable than a cheap but empty one.

How to test a location before you decide

You don’t have to guess. Before signing a contract, spend a little time on a simple check of the place. Observe foot traffic at different times of day and on different days of the week — a morning in an office building, an afternoon at a gym, a weekend in a mall look completely different. Roughly count how many people actually pass a given point, and note who they are (workers, students, families). Check what the competition nearby is doing and whether there’s room to stand out with a broader menu. Such an hour of observation can save you from months of weak sales.

It also helps to think in terms of “on the route”. The best points are those people pass automatically, going where they’re heading anyway — an entrance, a corridor, a rest area, the way to the changing room. A machine tucked around a corner, even in a busy building, loses most of its potential.

One location or a network of points

Treat the first machine as a testing ground: on it you learn the choice of place, menu and prices. Once it works stably, further points in similar, proven locations are the simplest path to increasing income — because you repeat a proven scheme, and a shared back office (deliveries, servicing, monitoring) serves many machines at once.

It’s also worth remembering that different types of location complement each other well. Office buildings give steady footfall on working days, malls and entertainment zones on weekends, and seasonal locations boost the result in summer. A network made up of different types of place is more resistant to fluctuations than several identical points.

The most common mistakes when choosing a location

• Going by price, not footfall. The cheapest space without people is in practice the most expensive, because it doesn’t sell.
• Ignoring the audience profile. A coffee-only machine at a gym or school wastes the potential for protein, matcha and milkshake.
• Poor visibility. Even a good location won’t sell if the machine stands in a place people don’t pass.
• No analysis of the hours. A place busy for only two hours a day will give a different result than one with even footfall from morning to evening.

Frequently asked questions

Which location is best to start?

The safest are places with high, repeatable footfall on working days — office buildings, universities, stations. These are the ones that “ramp up” sales fastest and shorten the investment’s payback, while also letting you test the menu fit well.

Should the menu be different in every location?

It’s worth tuning it. The coffee core proves itself everywhere, but the accents are best chosen for the audience: protein at a gym, milkshake in a mall, matcha at a university. This way the same equipment earns more.

How many people should pass by for it to be worthwhile?

There’s no single number — what matters is not only the volume of footfall but also its quality (whether the audience fits the offer) and the machine’s visibility. A place with moderate but well-matched footfall can beat a “crowded” but random location.

Fixed rent or commission on turnover?

With confident, high sales, fixed rent is usually more profitable. In places with uncertain footfall, a commission model is safer to start, because the cost rises only when sales rise.

Looking for a place and a configuration? Check the FASTKAVA machine models and the full drinks menu and choose a set for a specific location. If you’re only just planning to start, also take a look at the step-by-step guide on how to open a self-service café.