Keurig, or any other one-serving-at-a-time coffee maker

[bbinnsitters]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Tell Gomez that "variety is the spice of life" and if he
"loves being able to pick the coffee he wants whenever we stay someplace that has one."
he needs to provide for his guests what he likes!
I think a Keurig in the guest area is fine for early risers and night time drinkers, but a whole pot of coffee in the morning makes the most economical sense. I wouldn't want people hopping up and down all the time making their own coffee during breakfast. I believe Keurig also does hot chocolate, tea, cappacinnos (sp?). Everyone is happy!

 

[egoodell]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?

We don't purchase flavored coffees. We use it for cuppachino, espresso, one serve regular coffee in the afternoon or evening, or people who get up at 5am and want a cup of coffee.
I think it would be too expensive for morning coffee. We don't go through many of them. It's just nice that a guest can make a cup of coffee in the evening should they want one. For tea drinkers, we have one of the instant teapot heater thingys. For hot chocolate, they can heat up water or milk in the microwave.
RIki

 

[Morticia]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Tell Gomez that "variety is the spice of life" and if he
"loves being able to pick the coffee he wants whenever we stay someplace that has one."
he needs to provide for his guests what he likes!
I think a Keurig in the guest area is fine for early risers and night time drinkers, but a whole pot of coffee in the morning makes the most economical sense. I wouldn't want people hopping up and down all the time making their own coffee during breakfast. I believe Keurig also does hot chocolate, tea, cappacinnos (sp?). Everyone is happy!
.

The question still remains...how do you 'remove' the single serve coffee machine during breakfast?
My 'guest pantry' is part of the dining room. No cupboards or doors that I can hide this machine behind so that I can serve brewed coffee in the morning. So how do you tell guests they may not make themselves a cup of that lovely coffee they had last night?

 

[egoodell]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Tell Gomez that "variety is the spice of life" and if he
"loves being able to pick the coffee he wants whenever we stay someplace that has one."
he needs to provide for his guests what he likes!
I think a Keurig in the guest area is fine for early risers and night time drinkers, but a whole pot of coffee in the morning makes the most economical sense. I wouldn't want people hopping up and down all the time making their own coffee during breakfast. I believe Keurig also does hot chocolate, tea, cappacinnos (sp?). Everyone is happy!
.

The question still remains...how do you 'remove' the single serve coffee machine during breakfast?
My 'guest pantry' is part of the dining room. No cupboards or doors that I can hide this machine behind so that I can serve brewed coffee in the morning. So how do you tell guests they may not make themselves a cup of that lovely coffee they had last night?
.

The question still remains...how do you 'remove' the single serve coffee machine during breakfast?
My 'guest pantry' is part of the dining room. No cupboards or doors that I can hide this machine behind so that I can serve brewed coffee in the morning. So how do you tell guests they may not make themselves a cup of that lovely coffee they had last night?

The only thing I can think of is to remove the coffee pods and if they ask tell them they are put out for evening coffees, during breakfast full pots of coffee is offered.
Dunno if that would work for you or not...
Riki

 

[Sanctuary]

I keep my pods (K-cups) in a basket next to the coffee maker. If I wanted to remove it from service, I'd either pick up the machine and put it away (it's no bigger than my previous coffee maker), or remove the basket of K-cups. We're small - only three guest rooms, maximum of six guests at any one time. We do B&B as a filler between charters. Because we are so small, the Keurig is really working for us. We would normally spend $10/pound for Sumatra organic coffee. So far, it appears to be a wash in terms of cost. And even if it were to cost a little more, for us, I think it's worth it. Guests are happy being able to pick their flavor, roast and strength, and I'm happy not having to do much of any clean up. Self-serve is OK, but when guests are seated at the table, I don't mind refilling their cup - again, we only have 6 people, max, at any one time. Surprisingly, my regulars are not even coffee drinkers!
After reading the comments above, I agree, it's not for everyone - it all depends on your situation, size, etc.

 

[bbinnsitters]

I was just at Macys and they evidently have a new insert for the Keurig machines where you can add your own brand of coffee - so if you don't want to buy the little "pods"! It sold for $14.99 - he was also saying you can even use it for loose tea, but I don't want my tea being strained thru the same filter that someone puts coffee through. Only problem I see with the new insert is you'd probably constantly be cleaning up coffee grounds - yeah, the more I think about this the less I like it! For personal use, maybe...but not for a B&B! People are too messy and don't clean up after themselves - in fact I got tired of checking the machine to take the used pods out!

 

[Samster]

I keep my pods (K-cups) in a basket next to the coffee maker. If I wanted to remove it from service, I'd either pick up the machine and put it away (it's no bigger than my previous coffee maker), or remove the basket of K-cups. We're small - only three guest rooms, maximum of six guests at any one time. We do B&B as a filler between charters. Because we are so small, the Keurig is really working for us. We would normally spend $10/pound for Sumatra organic coffee. So far, it appears to be a wash in terms of cost. And even if it were to cost a little more, for us, I think it's worth it. Guests are happy being able to pick their flavor, roast and strength, and I'm happy not having to do much of any clean up. Self-serve is OK, but when guests are seated at the table, I don't mind refilling their cup - again, we only have 6 people, max, at any one time. Surprisingly, my regulars are not even coffee drinkers!
After reading the comments above, I agree, it's not for everyone - it all depends on your situation, size, etc..

I have the Tassimo in the guest service area upstairs in our Main House where the rooms are not conducive to in-room coffee. Lots of guests love it for coffee throughout the day and especially in the evening. (We also have teas & hot chocolate.) We do fresh ground and brewed coffee in the morning. The Keurig does seem to be the brand that's being marketed in the retail stores lately and there's a plethora of flavors of hot beverages available for it. Even with a reservoir, I don't worry about the water running out for the machine. The guest fridge is stocked with bottled water that guests can use to refill it. Having these types of things available easily for the guests keeps them from coming to us for them.

 

[HighMountainLodge]

For the High Mountain Lodge, coffee is a marketable amenity, not an expected one. We make European-style coffee (cappucino, latte, macciato, americano) using an Italian 1- group-head espresso machine. If we could afford it, we'd buy a 2-group head machine and capitalize the expenditure. We have gotten a surprising number of bookings based on our coffee--even before we figured out on our fingers and toes that coffee was an amenity.
Now we know better. We have microwaves in our rooms, as well as freezer/fridge combinations, so people can make their first cup of coffee using the Nescafe sticks we provide in the in-room tray along with an assortment of teas. But guests learn pretty quickly to put on clothes and come begging to the dining lodge for "proper" coffee.
My sense is, like most B&B amenities, the secret is personal contact. For the environmentalists, you can talk fair trade and organic, while for the coffee fiends you can talk "roast"--the degree of carbonization of the coffee bean. For the folks who "just want a cup of decaf", there is always the Bunn drip machine in the corner of the dining room and the neglected can of Folgers in the corner of the pantry.
Since everything is about marketing, then we think the most outstanding experiences guests should have is when they are interacting with us. Their most memorable experiences should be about when we are giving them service or food or coffee that the won't find anywhere else.
I would never put a coffee machine in a guest room that could make a better cup of coffee that I could serve the guest personally (impossible thought that might be).
Other innkeepers might balk at the thought of making personalized coffee drinks for their guests. But my point is that we should all maximize what we offer our guests based on our own passions. That's what makes innkeeping different from running a hotel. We've stayed in Hyatts that have the coffee making apparatus that churns our a nice amber cup of dishwater. It was welcome, but it was never--and would never be--good enough for us to book a Hyatt in the future because of the coffee maker in the bathroom.
I don't think that a cool coffee maker in the hall of an inn is going to be as effective a marketing tool as a personal touch (whether it be coffee or something else) from an innkeeper.

 

[sgirouard]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!

We have this issue in spades. Our particular (historic) house has no heat in the kitchen (unless you're cooking). On cold days/evenings, I've been heating the oven to it's lowest temp, turning it off, then popping in the plates/mugs to warm. It's really helped with dinner, and I thought it might be a nice touch with breakfast. No comments, but who expects breakfast to arrive on an ice cold plate (or coffee in an ice cold mug...unless it's iced coffee). Takes me no time really because I'm in there, anyway. I suppose if I was baking, I'd need to put the plates in after and be more careful about how long they stay in...
I wouldn't heat cups/mugs for a single serve machine, though.
DH & I have been following this thread closely - we've been debating this topic ourselves since before we even closed on the house. Since the one we've been eyeing will also make iced coffee/tea (actually, you put a glass of ice under instead of a mug, but you get the idea), DH really likes the idea of no condensation or leftover iced tea from a pitcher/urn/carafe sitting out on summer afternoon. <sigh> Not as pretty, though, as all those floating cubes and lemon slices...but I suppose I have my priorities mixed.
For now, for breakfast, I'm sticking with my current coffee makers (small drip pot, large urn), but you've convinced me that **I** want a single serve machine for myself LOL.

 

[gillumhouse]

For the High Mountain Lodge, coffee is a marketable amenity, not an expected one. We make European-style coffee (cappucino, latte, macciato, americano) using an Italian 1- group-head espresso machine. If we could afford it, we'd buy a 2-group head machine and capitalize the expenditure. We have gotten a surprising number of bookings based on our coffee--even before we figured out on our fingers and toes that coffee was an amenity.
Now we know better. We have microwaves in our rooms, as well as freezer/fridge combinations, so people can make their first cup of coffee using the Nescafe sticks we provide in the in-room tray along with an assortment of teas. But guests learn pretty quickly to put on clothes and come begging to the dining lodge for "proper" coffee.
My sense is, like most B&B amenities, the secret is personal contact. For the environmentalists, you can talk fair trade and organic, while for the coffee fiends you can talk "roast"--the degree of carbonization of the coffee bean. For the folks who "just want a cup of decaf", there is always the Bunn drip machine in the corner of the dining room and the neglected can of Folgers in the corner of the pantry.
Since everything is about marketing, then we think the most outstanding experiences guests should have is when they are interacting with us. Their most memorable experiences should be about when we are giving them service or food or coffee that the won't find anywhere else.
I would never put a coffee machine in a guest room that could make a better cup of coffee that I could serve the guest personally (impossible thought that might be).
Other innkeepers might balk at the thought of making personalized coffee drinks for their guests. But my point is that we should all maximize what we offer our guests based on our own passions. That's what makes innkeeping different from running a hotel. We've stayed in Hyatts that have the coffee making apparatus that churns our a nice amber cup of dishwater. It was welcome, but it was never--and would never be--good enough for us to book a Hyatt in the future because of the coffee maker in the bathroom.
I don't think that a cool coffee maker in the hall of an inn is going to be as effective a marketing tool as a personal touch (whether it be coffee or something else) from an innkeeper..

I agree. That is why I roast the green coffee beans and have a variety for the guests to choose from. I keep at least 2 varieties for FTO for those you described althought there is another group of that thought. I try to keep a variety of countries because it impresses guests. I would rather have the interaction with the guests - but I am small and broke so my guests are my entertainment and travel these days.

 

[Morticia]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!

We have this issue in spades. Our particular (historic) house has no heat in the kitchen (unless you're cooking). On cold days/evenings, I've been heating the oven to it's lowest temp, turning it off, then popping in the plates/mugs to warm. It's really helped with dinner, and I thought it might be a nice touch with breakfast. No comments, but who expects breakfast to arrive on an ice cold plate (or coffee in an ice cold mug...unless it's iced coffee). Takes me no time really because I'm in there, anyway. I suppose if I was baking, I'd need to put the plates in after and be more careful about how long they stay in...
I wouldn't heat cups/mugs for a single serve machine, though.
DH & I have been following this thread closely - we've been debating this topic ourselves since before we even closed on the house. Since the one we've been eyeing will also make iced coffee/tea (actually, you put a glass of ice under instead of a mug, but you get the idea), DH really likes the idea of no condensation or leftover iced tea from a pitcher/urn/carafe sitting out on summer afternoon. <sigh> Not as pretty, though, as all those floating cubes and lemon slices...but I suppose I have my priorities mixed.
For now, for breakfast, I'm sticking with my current coffee makers (small drip pot, large urn), but you've convinced me that **I** want a single serve machine for myself LOL.
.

We don't have heat in the kitchen, either, I might have said that already. We do warm the plates in the winter. Set the oven to 170 and just leave them in there. Never thought to put the mugs in there, too.

 

[gillumhouse]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!

We have this issue in spades. Our particular (historic) house has no heat in the kitchen (unless you're cooking). On cold days/evenings, I've been heating the oven to it's lowest temp, turning it off, then popping in the plates/mugs to warm. It's really helped with dinner, and I thought it might be a nice touch with breakfast. No comments, but who expects breakfast to arrive on an ice cold plate (or coffee in an ice cold mug...unless it's iced coffee). Takes me no time really because I'm in there, anyway. I suppose if I was baking, I'd need to put the plates in after and be more careful about how long they stay in...
I wouldn't heat cups/mugs for a single serve machine, though.
DH & I have been following this thread closely - we've been debating this topic ourselves since before we even closed on the house. Since the one we've been eyeing will also make iced coffee/tea (actually, you put a glass of ice under instead of a mug, but you get the idea), DH really likes the idea of no condensation or leftover iced tea from a pitcher/urn/carafe sitting out on summer afternoon. <sigh> Not as pretty, though, as all those floating cubes and lemon slices...but I suppose I have my priorities mixed.
For now, for breakfast, I'm sticking with my current coffee makers (small drip pot, large urn), but you've convinced me that **I** want a single serve machine for myself LOL.
.

We don't have heat in the kitchen, either, I might have said that already. We do warm the plates in the winter. Set the oven to 170 and just leave them in there. Never thought to put the mugs in there, too.
.

We don't have heat in the kitchen, either
Huh? My kitchen was the back porch originally but they did add a vent to it when the forced-air gas furnace was added to the house in 1957. There are also gas pipes in two places where space heaters were located - I trip over the one in front of my washer regularly (no heater there now) and the other has a 6-block gas heater hooked up to it that gets lit in the morning and turned off at night and if we leave the house. I must have heat!.

 

[Morticia]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!

We have this issue in spades. Our particular (historic) house has no heat in the kitchen (unless you're cooking). On cold days/evenings, I've been heating the oven to it's lowest temp, turning it off, then popping in the plates/mugs to warm. It's really helped with dinner, and I thought it might be a nice touch with breakfast. No comments, but who expects breakfast to arrive on an ice cold plate (or coffee in an ice cold mug...unless it's iced coffee). Takes me no time really because I'm in there, anyway. I suppose if I was baking, I'd need to put the plates in after and be more careful about how long they stay in...
I wouldn't heat cups/mugs for a single serve machine, though.
DH & I have been following this thread closely - we've been debating this topic ourselves since before we even closed on the house. Since the one we've been eyeing will also make iced coffee/tea (actually, you put a glass of ice under instead of a mug, but you get the idea), DH really likes the idea of no condensation or leftover iced tea from a pitcher/urn/carafe sitting out on summer afternoon. <sigh> Not as pretty, though, as all those floating cubes and lemon slices...but I suppose I have my priorities mixed.
For now, for breakfast, I'm sticking with my current coffee makers (small drip pot, large urn), but you've convinced me that **I** want a single serve machine for myself LOL.
.

We don't have heat in the kitchen, either, I might have said that already. We do warm the plates in the winter. Set the oven to 170 and just leave them in there. Never thought to put the mugs in there, too.
.

We don't have heat in the kitchen, either
Huh? My kitchen was the back porch originally but they did add a vent to it when the forced-air gas furnace was added to the house in 1957. There are also gas pipes in two places where space heaters were located - I trip over the one in front of my washer regularly (no heater there now) and the other has a 6-block gas heater hooked up to it that gets lit in the morning and turned off at night and if we leave the house. I must have heat!.
.

Yup, no heat. I suppose we could put in a toe kick heater, but once we get bustling around in there, it would be too warm. Gomez turns the stove on when he gets up and uses that for heat until the house warms up a bit. I've opened the window in the winter because it's gotten too warm in that little space!
We have baseboard hot water heat and you need a wall to put it on. Exception being the toe kick heater. My old kitchen in my brand new house in VT didn't have heat, either. I put in the toe kick under the sink so at least toes were warm doing dishes! Old kitchen in very old house in VT had one of those big old cast iron radiators but it did little when it was 20 below.
I'm kind of used to it now. But it does make for cold plates in the morning.

 

[Samster]

For the High Mountain Lodge, coffee is a marketable amenity, not an expected one. We make European-style coffee (cappucino, latte, macciato, americano) using an Italian 1- group-head espresso machine. If we could afford it, we'd buy a 2-group head machine and capitalize the expenditure. We have gotten a surprising number of bookings based on our coffee--even before we figured out on our fingers and toes that coffee was an amenity.
Now we know better. We have microwaves in our rooms, as well as freezer/fridge combinations, so people can make their first cup of coffee using the Nescafe sticks we provide in the in-room tray along with an assortment of teas. But guests learn pretty quickly to put on clothes and come begging to the dining lodge for "proper" coffee.
My sense is, like most B&B amenities, the secret is personal contact. For the environmentalists, you can talk fair trade and organic, while for the coffee fiends you can talk "roast"--the degree of carbonization of the coffee bean. For the folks who "just want a cup of decaf", there is always the Bunn drip machine in the corner of the dining room and the neglected can of Folgers in the corner of the pantry.
Since everything is about marketing, then we think the most outstanding experiences guests should have is when they are interacting with us. Their most memorable experiences should be about when we are giving them service or food or coffee that the won't find anywhere else.
I would never put a coffee machine in a guest room that could make a better cup of coffee that I could serve the guest personally (impossible thought that might be).
Other innkeepers might balk at the thought of making personalized coffee drinks for their guests. But my point is that we should all maximize what we offer our guests based on our own passions. That's what makes innkeeping different from running a hotel. We've stayed in Hyatts that have the coffee making apparatus that churns our a nice amber cup of dishwater. It was welcome, but it was never--and would never be--good enough for us to book a Hyatt in the future because of the coffee maker in the bathroom.
I don't think that a cool coffee maker in the hall of an inn is going to be as effective a marketing tool as a personal touch (whether it be coffee or something else) from an innkeeper..

"I don't think that a cool coffee maker in the hall of an inn is going to be as effective a marketing tool as a personal touch (whether it be coffee or something else) from an innkeeper."
I don't think that anyone was talking about these coffee makers as something to replace the personal service that innkeepers offer each and every day. They're an added amenity that is appreciated by the guests. Our guests here are delighted that they have 24 hour hot beverage service within steps of their door. So, if they wake up at 5:00 AM, they can help themselves to a selection of Gevalia, Starbucks, gourmet hot chocolate, Chai Tea Latte, Cafe Crema, etc.
As an owner who has been getting by on 4 hours of sleep/night recently, let me just say that the innkeeper has to sleep sometime..... ;-)

 

[sgirouard]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!

We have this issue in spades. Our particular (historic) house has no heat in the kitchen (unless you're cooking). On cold days/evenings, I've been heating the oven to it's lowest temp, turning it off, then popping in the plates/mugs to warm. It's really helped with dinner, and I thought it might be a nice touch with breakfast. No comments, but who expects breakfast to arrive on an ice cold plate (or coffee in an ice cold mug...unless it's iced coffee). Takes me no time really because I'm in there, anyway. I suppose if I was baking, I'd need to put the plates in after and be more careful about how long they stay in...
I wouldn't heat cups/mugs for a single serve machine, though.
DH & I have been following this thread closely - we've been debating this topic ourselves since before we even closed on the house. Since the one we've been eyeing will also make iced coffee/tea (actually, you put a glass of ice under instead of a mug, but you get the idea), DH really likes the idea of no condensation or leftover iced tea from a pitcher/urn/carafe sitting out on summer afternoon. <sigh> Not as pretty, though, as all those floating cubes and lemon slices...but I suppose I have my priorities mixed.
For now, for breakfast, I'm sticking with my current coffee makers (small drip pot, large urn), but you've convinced me that **I** want a single serve machine for myself LOL.
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We don't have heat in the kitchen, either, I might have said that already. We do warm the plates in the winter. Set the oven to 170 and just leave them in there. Never thought to put the mugs in there, too.
.

We don't have heat in the kitchen, either
Huh? My kitchen was the back porch originally but they did add a vent to it when the forced-air gas furnace was added to the house in 1957. There are also gas pipes in two places where space heaters were located - I trip over the one in front of my washer regularly (no heater there now) and the other has a 6-block gas heater hooked up to it that gets lit in the morning and turned off at night and if we leave the house. I must have heat!.
.

Yup, no heat. I suppose we could put in a toe kick heater, but once we get bustling around in there, it would be too warm. Gomez turns the stove on when he gets up and uses that for heat until the house warms up a bit. I've opened the window in the winter because it's gotten too warm in that little space!
We have baseboard hot water heat and you need a wall to put it on. Exception being the toe kick heater. My old kitchen in my brand new house in VT didn't have heat, either. I put in the toe kick under the sink so at least toes were warm doing dishes! Old kitchen in very old house in VT had one of those big old cast iron radiators but it did little when it was 20 below.
I'm kind of used to it now. But it does make for cold plates in the morning.
.

Well, our laundry room was converted from a back porch - you access it from the kitchen through old back door. Get this - no heat int he kitchen, but a big old heater in the laundry room. Like I'm going to stand in there long enough to turn it on. Yikes. I can fold somewhere else!
I have wondered if our kitchen was the original back porch, but haven't had time to look up the original plans/floorplan of the house. I suspect it was actually built as a kitchen, but have no clue why previous owners never put in heat. Even with the stove top and oven running, we've had days all ready where you can see your breath in there.

 

[Morticia]

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please..

Most of the places I work for have one it seems! They are very popular, but I too was wondering about the cost comparison. If someone has figured it out let us all know please.

Coffeecow.com says each serving is .44. I looked at my Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which says "up to 240 cups" (yeah, right). Purchased on sale for $7.78, that means each cup costs .32. Since I know we don't get 240 cups out of one of those, the cost per mug is probably comparable, especially when it's not on sale and $10.00.
Hmmm, something to think about, and a nice touch for the guests, since you can do tea as well.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.
.

I just found this by querying 'coffee cost per serving:'
Consider the following - restaurants usually sell a cup of coffee for about one dollar. And when they pay $6.00 per pound for coffee, their cost per cup is about ten cents, (which means their profit is ninety cents). So the difference in their profit between $6.00 per pound and $3.00 per pound is the incredible sum of five cents per cup.
The purpose of this particular comparison was 'taste' and not really cost.

That coffee cup is supposed to be refillable though. Not just one little cups worth.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.
.

Not sure what you meant, but yes, I would hope a cuppa at a restaurant would be refillable for no charge.
For me, it's that exact scenario happening with the single serve machine. 'Oh, my coffee is cold, can I dump it out and start over?' Versus what everyone does now in just topping off with more hot coffee from the carafe. Because most guests who want a warm up take 2 sips and they're done. I throw out a lot of coffee after doing warm ups. I think I would cringe if I saw that with the single serve packs.
Very rarely we get asked if we will brew up a pot of coffee at night. Or the guest asks us to show them how to use the Bunn machine. For those folks I can put out the air pot to hold the coffee hot for them. Of course they never drink it, but they need to make sure in case they DO want to drink it, it's there.

If the creamer is real cold the coffee goes cold very fast, if the coffee is not super hot and if the mugs are big the coffee goes cold quick. There are some variables as to why they want a fresh cup. So for those - the single serve machine would be used quite a bit wouldn't it? I can only see the single serve being an "after hours" thing, otherwise, a fresh pot of coffee is in order, imo. I know plenty of people who wouldn't fuss with a single cup machine for 5 cups of coffee. (I have some here right now, the pot was emptied before 8am and I made another)
.

Mini moos right now and they aren't refrigerated. Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!
We had the discussion this morning about how to 'remove' the single serve machine in the morning. Put a tea cozy over it?
You may remember this dilemma from a couple of years ago when we redid the kitchen...We started putting the coffee out in the airpots and no one would drink it. It was 'old.' They would all stand around waiting for the 'new' pot to brew. Even if they saw me pour the coffee into the airpot they didn't want it.
I think the same would happen with the single serve. Everyone would want a 'fresh' cuppa with the flavor of their choosing. Not some stale, old coffee from a carafe!
Altho, Gomez says he would only buy 'regular' and 'decaf' not flavors. In that case, what's the sense?
.

Yes, big mugs, 12 ozs, so they do cool off. The coffee is hot when it's poured but I can see where on a cold morning those mugs are cold to start. They've been sitting in the unheated kitchen overnight!

We have this issue in spades. Our particular (historic) house has no heat in the kitchen (unless you're cooking). On cold days/evenings, I've been heating the oven to it's lowest temp, turning it off, then popping in the plates/mugs to warm. It's really helped with dinner, and I thought it might be a nice touch with breakfast. No comments, but who expects breakfast to arrive on an ice cold plate (or coffee in an ice cold mug...unless it's iced coffee). Takes me no time really because I'm in there, anyway. I suppose if I was baking, I'd need to put the plates in after and be more careful about how long they stay in...
I wouldn't heat cups/mugs for a single serve machine, though.
DH & I have been following this thread closely - we've been debating this topic ourselves since before we even closed on the house. Since the one we've been eyeing will also make iced coffee/tea (actually, you put a glass of ice under instead of a mug, but you get the idea), DH really likes the idea of no condensation or leftover iced tea from a pitcher/urn/carafe sitting out on summer afternoon. <sigh> Not as pretty, though, as all those floating cubes and lemon slices...but I suppose I have my priorities mixed.
For now, for breakfast, I'm sticking with my current coffee makers (small drip pot, large urn), but you've convinced me that **I** want a single serve machine for myself LOL.
.

We don't have heat in the kitchen, either, I might have said that already. We do warm the plates in the winter. Set the oven to 170 and just leave them in there. Never thought to put the mugs in there, too.
.

We don't have heat in the kitchen, either
Huh? My kitchen was the back porch originally but they did add a vent to it when the forced-air gas furnace was added to the house in 1957. There are also gas pipes in two places where space heaters were located - I trip over the one in front of my washer regularly (no heater there now) and the other has a 6-block gas heater hooked up to it that gets lit in the morning and turned off at night and if we leave the house. I must have heat!.
.

Yup, no heat. I suppose we could put in a toe kick heater, but once we get bustling around in there, it would be too warm. Gomez turns the stove on when he gets up and uses that for heat until the house warms up a bit. I've opened the window in the winter because it's gotten too warm in that little space!
We have baseboard hot water heat and you need a wall to put it on. Exception being the toe kick heater. My old kitchen in my brand new house in VT didn't have heat, either. I put in the toe kick under the sink so at least toes were warm doing dishes! Old kitchen in very old house in VT had one of those big old cast iron radiators but it did little when it was 20 below.
I'm kind of used to it now. But it does make for cold plates in the morning.
.

Well, our laundry room was converted from a back porch - you access it from the kitchen through old back door. Get this - no heat int he kitchen, but a big old heater in the laundry room. Like I'm going to stand in there long enough to turn it on. Yikes. I can fold somewhere else!
I have wondered if our kitchen was the original back porch, but haven't had time to look up the original plans/floorplan of the house. I suspect it was actually built as a kitchen, but have no clue why previous owners never put in heat. Even with the stove top and oven running, we've had days all ready where you can see your breath in there.
.

I suspect it was actually built as a kitchen, but have no clue why previous owners never put in heat. Even with the stove top and oven running, we've had days all ready where you can see your breath in there.

A couple of things...the heater in the laundry room may have heated the kitchen at one time. Depending on where you are (I don't know if I know where you are), maybe heat wasn't thought of as 'necessary.' The big old wood-fired range would keep the kitchen 'warm enough' in the winter and probably meant sweltering in the summer.

 

[gillumhouse]

sgirouard wrote:
I suspect it was actually built as a kitchen, but have no clue why previous owners never put in heat. Even with the stove top and oven running, we've had days all ready where you can see your breath in there
Our dining room was the original kitchen. It is the only room with no fireplace and is the largest room in the house. In 1912 the kitchen had either a wood stove or a coal stove and that would put out more heat than a modern stove would ever think of. My Granny's house had loopholes for shooting Indians according to my Mom) and she had a coal stove in addition to the electric stove. That room was never cold - even with the trap door that led to the root cellar and coal bin in the kitchen floor. There was always a fire in it with a teakettle for hot water - actually the only way to have hot water since we had no water in the faucets.