If your RSL or community club offers members tea and coffee in the lounge, the real question is what equipment makes it. For a busy club, the best option is a self-serve commercial superautomatic coffee machine placed in the members’ lounge or bistro, away from the gaming room. Members make their own flat white, latte or long black at the touch of a button, and bar staff stay where they are needed. Panica Coffee provides commercial superautomatic coffee machine rental and servicing for RSL clubs, community clubs and workplaces across Melbourne, and this guide covers what an RSL or club committee should decide before one is installed.
Why Do RSLs and Clubs Choose a Self-Serve Coffee Machine?
A self-serve coffee machine suits a club because the people drinking the coffee are members and guests, not customers waiting at a counter. A superautomatic coffee machine grinds the beans, brews the coffee and prepares the milk automatically, so anyone can make a café style drink without barista training.
An urn or pod machine works on a quiet weekday. However, a club fills up after a commemorative service, a wake or a function, and that is when a small machine falls behind. A commercial bean-to-cup machine is built for repeated use through the day, and fresh beans give members a better cup than instant or pods.
In addition, a self-serve station takes coffee off the bar. Bar staff are not pulled away to make hot drinks, and volunteers running a meeting or a morning tea do not need to learn an espresso machine.
Where Should the Coffee Machine Go in a Club With Gaming Machines?
In a Victorian club with gaming machines, the coffee station belongs in the members’ lounge, the bistro or a function area, not inside the gaming room. The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) explains that venue staff cannot serve food or drinks to customers at a poker machine, and that offering food or drinks is a way to encourage patrons to take a break in play.
A self-serve machine in the lounge fits that approach naturally. Members walk to the coffee station, sit down with their drink and take a genuine break. Check your venue’s own responsible gambling obligations with the VGCCC, because the rules apply to the venue rather than to the coffee supplier.
Once the room is chosen, the exact position matters too. The machine needs a stable bench, room above for the bean hopper lid, space for people to queue without blocking a walkway, and a nearby power point. Our guide to coffee machine placement covers these checks in detail.
Not sure which space in your club suits a coffee station? Panica Coffee can look at the room, the power and the water supply and recommend a suitable setup.
Should Club Coffee Be Free for Members or Paid?
Both models work, and the right choice depends on how the club already handles food and drink. The table below sets out the common setups.
| Setup | Suits | Things to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Free self-serve coffee in the members’ lounge | Clubs that already offer members free tea and coffee | Who refills beans and milk, and how the cost is budgeted |
| Coffee included with functions and meetings | Clubs that host wakes, sub-branch meetings, community groups and private functions | Whether the machine sits in the function room or is shared with the lounge |
| Coffee sold through the bistro or bar | Clubs with a busy bistro and dessert service | Staffed service may suit better; see our guide to venue coffee without a barista |
For free member coffee, the main ongoing costs are the rental, beans and milk. Because the machine is self-serve, there is no extra wage cost for making each drink.
Who Cleans and Refills a Club Coffee Machine?
One named person or role should own the daily clean, even if the club relies on volunteers. Each day the grounds container and drip tray are emptied, the milk system is rinsed and the spout is wiped. The job takes a few minutes, but on a shared lounge everyone can assume someone else has done it.
Therefore, add the coffee station to the closing checklist that bar or duty staff already follow. Keep spare beans, milk and cleaning products in a lockable cupboard rather than on an open bench. Our daily coffee machine cleaning routine sets out the steps in order.
What Size Coffee Machine Does an RSL or Club Need?
Size the machine for the club’s busiest hour, not its average day. A sub-branch with a quiet weekday lounge may still see a large crowd after a commemorative service, a wake or a function. As a result, the busiest window decides the capacity you need.
When you contact Panica Coffee, have these details ready:
- How many members and guests use the lounge on a normal day
- Your busiest events and how many people attend
- Whether most people drink milk coffee, black coffee, tea or hot chocolate
- Where the machine will sit and whether there is a water connection nearby
A tank fed machine only needs a suitable power point, while a plumbed machine needs a water connection close by. Our guides to coffee machine plumbing and power requirements explain both options. Panica Coffee then recommends a specific machine once we understand how your club uses the space.
How Does Panica Coffee Help RSLs and Community Clubs?
Panica Coffee has rented, sold and serviced commercial superautomatic coffee machines for Melbourne businesses since 2017, from our workshop in Caulfield South. We work with Franke, Dr Coffee and Saeco machines. Before installation, we confirm the position, the power point and the water supply, so the machine is ready to use on day one.
Rental starts from $35 per week ex GST with no upfront cost, servicing included; terms and conditions apply. For a club committee, that means a better machine in the lounge without a capital purchase, and a predictable weekly cost that is simple to put in the budget. We install the machine, show your team how it works and leave it for the week. If it is not the right fit, we collect it at no cost. If it is, it becomes a normal rental.
Get a Coffee Machine Rental Quote for Your Club
Tell us about your club, the space you have in mind and your busiest events. Panica Coffee will recommend a suitable machine and setup. Call 1300 529 505 or send the form below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an RSL put a coffee machine in the gaming room?
Placing the coffee station in the gaming room is not recommended. The VGCCC explains that Victorian venue staff cannot serve food or drinks to customers at a poker machine and that food and drinks can encourage a break in play, so a self-serve machine in the lounge or bistro is the better fit. Check your venue’s own obligations with the VGCCC.
How much does a coffee machine for a club cost to rent?
Panica Coffee rental starts from $35 per week ex GST with no upfront cost. The final price depends on the machine that suits your club’s usage, and servicing is included.
Is a superautomatic coffee machine easy for members to use?
Yes. A superautomatic coffee machine makes each drink at the touch of a button, so members and volunteers do not need barista skills. Panica Coffee shows your team how to use the machine when it is installed.
Does a club coffee machine need plumbing?
Not always. A tank fed machine only needs a suitable power point, which suits many lounges and function rooms. A plumbed machine needs a water connection nearby and suits higher use, because nobody has to refill the tank.
Can our club get advice before committing?
Yes. Tell Panica Coffee how many members use the lounge and where the machine will go, and we will match the machine before installation; terms and conditions apply.
Planning Coffee for Your Club Lounge?
Tell Panica Coffee where the machine will go, how many members use the lounge and when your busiest events are. We can help you choose a commercial superautomatic coffee machine that keeps up on your biggest days. Call 1300 529 505.